Very often literal translation from English to Portuguese or from Portuguese to English is not the best way to say what you want. Here is a good example:
- Alguma dúvida?
Literally, this question translates to: “Any doubt? But in the classroom setting it is the Portuguese equivalent to “Any questions?”
A client of mine once shared a great story. He was studying business in Brazil as part of his MBA program. He thought it was really strange that this Brazilian professor, who was teaching the class in English, kept asking the students if they had doubts about what he was teaching. Now you know what was happening: The professor was using a literal translation from Portuguese to English: “Alguma dúvida?” literally translates to “Any doubts?”
Have you been in trouble because of literal translations? We’d love to hear from you. Participate in our Facebook community!
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