Language & Landmarks: Cataratas do Iguacu

Bom dia and welcome to Iguacu Falls or Cataratas do Iguacu located in Republica Federativa do Brasil, or Brazil. This amazing natural formation is breathtakingly huge and Brazil’s Iguacu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Brazil, the giant of South America, is a country of superlatives. It contains the most expansive rain forests, the world’s biggest reserves of industrial and precious metals, the mightiest river system on the planet and exports more coffee and sugar than any other country. Iguacu Falls, larger than Niagara, straddles two South American countries: Spanish speaking Argentina and Portuguese speaking Brazil. The Portuguese conquered and settled Brazil in the 16th century. So the people of this country might be considered Latin, but they are not Hispanic. European Portuguese is the written language taught in schools, but because of the variety of cultural influences and individuality of the Brazilian people, the Portuguese spoken here has its own flavor, its own personality. A word written in Brazilian Portuguese may be identical to one written in standard Portuguese, but the pronunciation and possibly the meaning of the word may be quite different. It has been said that sometimes it is easier for Brazilians to understand speakers of Spanish from other Latin-American countries than to hear “continental Portuguese”. This has great implications for document translation, and especially for translating text into Portuguese for the Brazilian market. Knowing the differences can be critical. The value of acquiring, translating, and interpreting a foreign language can’t be underestimated in global business and give the non-native speaker a chance to express (in superlatives of course!) the beauty and wonder found in the host culture’s natural world.

-- Mary Beauregard, Global LT Intercultural Consultant

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