nota bene

"...it is virtually impossible for a native speaker of one variety of Portuguese (European or Brazilian) to do a good translation into the other. Although there are unfortunately people who may feel, and announce themselves, as capable of translating or editing for both varieties, their work usually does not pass the simplest scrutiny of a native speaker."

Lyris Wiedemann, PhD in Applied Linguistics, Senior Lecturer at Stanford University and freelance translator

Portuguese is in 6th place among the ten most-spoken languages in the world. It is a major or official language in nine countries and it is one of the 20 official languages of the European Union (2005) and a working language in several international venues. The largest Portuguese-speaking country is Brazil with 176 million people. Other Portuguese-speaking countries with large populations include Mozambique (19 million), Angola (13 million), Portugal (10 million) and some other 4.8 million Portuguese living in the four corners of the World. Smaller countries or regions where the Portuguese language is spoken include Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and São Tomé e Príncipe in Africa and East Timor and Macao, S.A.R. of China in Asia. All together, around 220 million people speak and write Portuguese in its two varieties. With the exception of Brazil, apart from local colloquialisms and "street lingo", in ALL Portuguese-speaking countries and territories (around 50 million people) the linguistic variety spoken and used by the population and in official business is the EUROPEAN PORTUGUESE. As with other languages spoken in different countries and places of the world, Portuguese differs in vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, mainly between Portugal and Brazil. websites, and commercial and technical documents SHOULD be properly localized for the Portuguese and Brazilian markets. And, take note: For regular official, commercial and technical texts, THERE IS NO SUCH THING as "neutral Portuguese", as well as "angolan", "capeverdian" or "mozambican" Portuguese...

(...) And, most important of all, the new spelling reform will NOT change the fact that you need a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese for a translation that’ll be used in Brazil and a native speaker of European Portuguese for a translation that’ll be used in Portugal. — Fábio Said, Brazilian Translator (Germany) View the complete text

Lisbon, panoramic view over the downtown area, looking north.

Rossio Square and the National Theater Building can be seen on lower left section of the picture.

Jeronimos Monastery

The most impressive symbol of Portugal's power and wealth during the Age of Discovery. King Manuel I built it in 1502 on the site of a hermitage founded by Prince Henry the Navigator, where Vasco da Gama and his crew spent their last night in Portugal in prayer before leaving for India. It was built to commemorate Vasco Da Gama's voyage and to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for its success. Jeronimos Monastery Cloisters Vasco da Gama's tomb was placed inside by the entrance, as was the tomb of poet Luis de Camões, author of the epic The Lusiads in which he glorifies the triumphs of Da Gama and his compatriots. It is one of the great triumphs of European Gothic (UNESCO has classified it a World Heritage monument), with much of the design characterized by elaborate sculptural details and maritime motifs. This style of architecture became known as Manueline, a style of art that served to glorify the great discoveries of the age.

Lisbon, 25th of April Bridge

The Tagus River Bridge or 25th of April Bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) in Lisbon, Portugal (here seen from a flyover in Alcântara, looking east), was built by the American Bridge Company and completed in 1966, after four years of construction, for $32 million. Its total length is 2,277 m, the main span measuring 1,013 m (17th largest suspension bridge in the world). It enbodies an important railroad line connecting Lisbon to the south, this line opened in 1999. At the time of its completion, it was the longest suspended span in Europe, had the longest main span in Continental Europe, was the world's longest continuous truss, and had the world's deepest bridge foundation (82 meters). Center left of the image: the Lisbon-Cascais railway line.

Porto, viewed from the Gaia bank of Douro river

Right: Luís I bridge. Foreground: "Rabelo" boats, that used to carry the Port wine casks from the Douro vineyards.

Ponte D. Luís I (Luís 1st. Bridge) - Porto
With Law of 11/02/1879, the Portuguese government opens the bidding process for the “construction of a metal bridge over the Douro River, in the place considered the most convenient in front of the city of Porto, for the replacement of the current suspended bridge”. The winning proposal was from Teófilo Seyrig, from the Belgian company Societé de Willebroeck. Teófilo Seyrig had already been the designer and head of the engineering team in the project of the Ponte D. Maria Pia (D. Maria Pia Bridge) as Eiffel’s associate. This time, he was the sole responsible for the works of the new and grand Ponte D. Luís I (D. Luís I Bridge). The construction works began in 1881 and the inauguration occurred on 31 October 1886). The arch comprises 172 m of chord and is 44.6 m tall.

Cabo da Roca (Roca Cape): Latitude: 38° 46' 30'' North - Longitude: 9° 28' 36'' West

The westernmost point of continental Europe.

Não chóro por nada que a vida traga ou leve. Há porém paginas de prosa me teem feito chorar. Lembro-me, como do que estou vendo, da noute em que, ainda creança, li pela primeira vez numa selecta, o passo celebre de Vieira sobre o Rei Salomão, "Fabricou Salomão um palacio..." E fui lendo, até ao fim, tremulo, confuso; depois rompi em lagrimas felizes, como nenhuma felicidade real me fará chorar, como nenhuma tristeza da vida me fará imitar. Aquelle movimento hieratico da nossa clara lingua majestosa, aquelle exprimir das idéas nas palavras inevitaveis, correr de agua porque ha declive, aquelle assombro vocalico em que os sons são cores ideaes – tudo isso me toldou de instincto como uma grande emoção politica. E, disse, chorei; hoje, relembrando, ainda chóro. Não é – não – a saudade da infancia, de que não tenho saudades: é a saudade da emoção d'aquelle momento, a magua de não poder já ler pela primeira vez aquella grande certeza symphonica. Não tenho sentimento nenhum politico ou social. Tenho, porém, num sentido, um alto sentimento patriotico. Minha patria é a lingua portuguesa. Nada me pesaria que invadissem ou tomassem Portugal, desde que não me incommodassem pessoalmente, Mas odeio, com odio verdadeiro, com o unico odio que sinto, não quem escreve mal portuguez, não quem não sabe syntaxe, não quem escreve em orthographia simplificada, mas a pagina mal escripta, como pessoa própria, a syntaxe errada, como gente em que se bata, a orthographia sem ípsilon, como escarro directo que me enoja independentemente de quem o cuspisse. Sim, porque a orthographia também é gente. A palavra é completa vista e ouvida. E a gala da transliteração greco-romana veste-m'a do seu vero manto régio, pelo qual é senhora e rainha.