Que giro!

Recently, we released European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese as separate language entries within Microsoft Translator. Although we have supported Portuguese for many years, the split between these dialects represents a recent change.

Why did we do this?

This is a good question. Although the two Portuguese dialects are very similar to one another and in many cases mutually understandable, there are differences in vocabulary, grammar, writing and pronunciation that are quite distinct. Previously, we trained one composite model for Portuguese using data that was composed of both dialects. The output for any particular translation would either be of one dialect or another, depending on the probabilities learned from the underlying data. Now, as a user, you can explicitly choose one dialect over the other.

Let’s suppose that you want to offer some candy to someone in Portuguese. In European Portuguese you would say “Tu gostarias de um rebuçado?” literally meaning “Would you like some candy?” On the other hand, in Brazilian Portuguese you would say “Você gostaria de uma bala?” Likewise, “I’d like to offer you guys a cup of tea” would be spoken as “Gostaria de oferecer-vos uma chávena de chá” in European Portuguese and “Gostaria de oferecer a vocês uma xícara de chá” in Brazilian Portuguese. A Portuguese speaker would immediately notice the difference in these expressions in the use of “you,” and that is one of the biggest differences between the dialects. In European Portuguese, “tu” is most often used for “you” with the plural form being “vós.” In Brazilian Portuguese, “you” is most often expressed as “você” in the singular form and “vocês” in the plural.

In addition to vocabulary differences, there are writing differences as well. There are many words that appear the same when written in both dialects, but upon closer examination, the small differences in spelling and diacritics can be seen.  Here are a few examples.

Irã – Irão (Iran)
caminhões – camiões (trucks)
controle – controlo (control)
equipe – equipa (team)
quilômetros – quilómetros (kilometers)
gênero – género (gender)
registro – registo (register)
reparamos – reparámos (we noticed)

One of the most noticeable differences between the dialects are the way words and phrases are pronounced. The table below shows several idiomatic expressions. Tap the icons to hear them spoken aloud and listen to the differences between them. Note that they’re written exactly the same in the two dialects, but sound quite different.

Portuguese	English Translation	Literal Translation	Listen: Brazilian	Listen: European
Pode tirar o cavalinho da chuva!	Forget about it!	You can take your horse out of the rain.
São lágrimas de crocodilo.	They’re crocodile tears.	They’re crocodile tears.
Memória de elefante.	A great capacity to remember.	Memory of an elephant.
Quem vê caras, não vê corações.	Looks can be deceiving.	If you see faces, you don’t see hearts.
Pensar na morte da bezerra.	Not paying attention; distracted.	Thinking about the death of the female calf.
Ficar a ver navios.	Being left high and dry (abandoned).	Stay to see ships.
Ela tem nariz empinado.	She’s arrogant.	She has an upwards-tilted nose.
Ele bateu as botas.	He died.	He kicked the boots.

What you can do with Microsoft Translator

Translate real-time conversations, menus and street signs, websites, documents, and more using the Translator app for Windows, iOS, Android, and the web. Use the Translator Text API and Cognitive Speech Services, both members of the Azure Cognitive Services family, to help globalize your business and customer interactions. Create a more inclusive classroom for both students and parents with live captioning and cross-language understanding.

For more information on Microsoft Translator please visit: http://approjects.co.za/?big=en-us/translator/.