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What Dialects are Available in Portuguese for Translations?

When choosing a Portuguese translation service, it is important to remember that there are different dialects of this language

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What Dialects are Available in Portuguese for Translations?

When choosing a Portuguese translation service, it is important to remember that there are different dialects of this language. With over 200 million people in the world speaking Portuguese, choosing a dialect will be critical to your long-term success and effectiveness in the global market.

There are two official dialects of the Portuguese language. European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. Choosing a dialect will greatly impact how you are able to use your service and which audience and customer base you will be able to easily interact with. This guide will help you better understand the differences between the two dialects so that you can then choose the dialect that will work best for your global market strategy. This is only a short introduction to the differences between the two dialects. Consider this a starting point and you can then conduct further research into more detailed differences that could affect how your company utilizes a translation service.

Differences In Spelling

In the past, there were two official written forms of Portuguese. Recently, however, the Portuguese Orthographic Agreement went into effect. This agreement brought unity to the way written Portuguese is communicated.

There are now fewer differences, officially. However, there are still many differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese. Most differences lie in vocabulary and in cultural differences.

An effective translation service will take into consideration these important differences rather than just blindly relying upon standardized spellings and grammar. While researching which translation service you should use, it is important to ask questions about these types of details to ensure you are getting the most effective type of service for your targeted audience.

Differences in Terminology

The differences between Brazil and Portugal are vast, not only when it comes to language but also when it comes to culture. Just because both of these countries speak Portuguese in no way means they are similar in other ways culturally. Portugal is a European country and Brazil is a South American country. The history and culture are immensely different.

It should also be noted that Brazil is a very large country. Within Brazilian Portuguese, there are many other dialects in existence as well. This can lead to a lot of differences in terminology and meaning.

An effective translation service will eliminate as much localized terminology as possible as well as colloquialisms in an effort to create more uniform communications. When a translation service fails to do this, language barriers can pop up. In your global market strategy, a communication barrier can really impact your success.

Differences In Pronunciation

Pronunciation may not be a huge factor when it comes to translating written content, but it is worth noting that the different dialects will have differing pronunciations of words as well. Pronunciation differences do impact spelling differences, though, which could be critical to your content translations.

Be sure to talk about these types of details when you speak with a representative for a translation service. A knowledgeable rep should be able to explain to you exactly how their service will handle these types of issues and help you determine which dialect will work best for your goals.

Which To Choose?

In order to choose the dialect best suited to your company, you will need to ask yourself a few questions.

Is my audience in Portugal or Brazil? If your audience is based in Portugal or in a surrounding area, you will need to choose European Portuguese. If your audience is based in Brazil, you will want Brazilian Portuguese.

Is my audience outside of Portugal or Brazil? If you are targeting an audience that is not primarily in these two areas, then you will want to further classify. An audience mainly in the US would likely use Brazilian Portuguese. If your audience is in Africa, Asia, or other parts of Europe, you should choose European Portuguese.

If you are unsure about how to approach this important topic, you should sit down with a translation service specialist to get their professional opinion.

Things To Avoid

When you are attempting to make this important decision, there are a few things you should avoid.

Do not mix dialects. Mixing dialects will only cause confusion both for your team and for the audience you hope to reach. It is better to do extensive research on your target audience to find out exactly which dialect will produce the greatest return on your investment. You do not want to waste time or money using a dialect that will not be effective for your goals.

Don’t complicate things. Although choosing a translation service may feel confusing and overwhelming at first, it is really a simple process when you trust the professionals you are working with. Trying to overcomplicate or micromanage the translation service team you are working with will only make your job harder. They are professionals for a reason. They are language experts, and they know how to help you achieve your marketing and communication goals in a global setting.

Your translation service should be considered an integral part of your content and marketing team. Choose a service you can trust and then allow them to do their job working alongside you and your team.

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