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How much do you know about Portuguese?
Did you know that it is the language of the world’s foremost maritime power and some of history’s prominent explorers like Vasco De Gama and Ferdinand Magellan?
Portuguese is the seventh most spoken language globally, with native speakers across the continents, which explains why it has so many speakers. In this article, we take a closer look at this romantic language and state some fun facts everyone should know about Portuguese, along with some of its history.
Interesting facts about the Portuguese language
1. Large amount of native speakers
The most common fact about Portuguese is probably its 220 million native speakers. This makes it a useful language to learn and, of course, a valuable target audience for any business.
With this amount of native speakers, it is apparent that many countries speak the language. Therefore, localization becomes a crucial factor when translating texts and documents to Portuguese.
2. Y, K, and W are new letters in Portuguese:
It is no news that languages evolve because human beings mix and get influenced by each other. What makes this fact interesting is that it happened in 2009 (not so long ago) due to the influence of tech advancement. With things like Wi-Fi becoming more popular, one could say it was inevitable not to add these letters to the Portuguese alphabets. It explains why you will not find many Portuguese words using any of these letters, except words from other languages.
3. Latin origins
Portuguese is an old language that came from an even older language – Latin. Today, Latin is obsolete, but you hear derivatives like Portuguese and Spanish still waxing strong. The Latin origin is the answer to the question concerning the similarities between these languages. It is worth noting that the proliferation of Portuguese came about by the fall of the Roman Empire and the large scale migration that happened later.
4. It has some words from Arabic:
Portuguese has a lot of influence from Arabic because of the history of the Arab conquest. Look at it this way; Many Latin speakers back then had to live with Arab speakers, and naturally, their languages mixed. Up to this day, certain words in Portuguese still mean the same in Arabic. Examples of such words are; azeitona which comes from the Arabic word, Zaytoon meaning olive in English.
5. Portuguese speakers will understand Spanish:
The similarity between Portuguese and Spanish works so that Portuguese speakers will easily understand Spanish. However, Spanish speakers may not understand Portuguese, and it is because Portuguese originated from Vulgar Latin while Spanish was from a cleaner Latin.
6. Spoken in 4 continents, official to 9 countries:
Portuguese is the official language of nine countries; however, it is spoken natively in countries across four continents. These include South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia.
7. Different in Europe and South America
A language spoken as widely as Portuguese is expected to have different localization and contextual meanings. Therefore, it is not strange that the Portuguese spoken in America and Europe vary from one another.
8. Vocabulary
Portuguese has an estimated 25000 words, including those adopted from other languages. In addition, it has a unique verb and tense structure that can make it challenging for native English speakers to pick up.
Why you may need to translate your business to Portuguese
In the modern world, globalization is essential for any business to thrive and outlive its competitors. That means that you must consider an audience with a different language and a different culture.
If part of your business objectives includes capturing additional market share, especially during these changing times. It makes sense to overcome language barriers through translation and localization. You may want to consider adapting your Portuguese platform for (let’s say; your Angolan audience). Doing so brings you closer to another section of the 220 million people who speak the language.
Luckily, language service providers can bridge the gap by providing specific translation, localization, SEO, and a vast range of services. Therefore, your business can be found by the right group of people. The question becomes how to pick out the right translators or LSP for the job.
The right translation company is one with the experience and understanding of the technical lingua of your field. That means you need translators with a proven track record. Exactly why TranslationsInLondon is ideal for your translation services to Portuguese.