Translating Southernese into Portuguese
It's not as hard as it sounds.
VOL. 3 ... No. 104. May 21, 2025.
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Howdy Humpers!
We’ll be in the skies this time next week, so this will be my last report from Portugal.
We’ve absolutely loved our stay! The people we’ve met — both Portuguese and transplants — have been so helpful and kind. It’s a beautiful country with a complex and rich history. We’ve been remarking on the quality of light here that infuses everything with a bit of romance.
On Saturday, we look forward to attending a concert of fado music. This is Portugal’s traditional music, known for it’s emotional and melancholic lyrics. Having been raised on Appalachian ballads and country music, I get that.
While here, I’ve been thinking a lot about language acquisition. It’s easier when you’re young. It’s also easier when you immerse yourself into a culture. When I was a kid, I learned to read and spell by constantly reading road signs, billboards, and labels on products. Unlike today, back then most advertisers used correct spelling. So, I knew crazy was NOT krazy.
I find myself doing the same thing here. I’ll be walking along reading the signs in store windows, and realize I haven’t a clue what any of them mean. While many Portuguese words are spelled similarly to Spanish or English words, the pronunciation is quite different. Non-native speakers all seem to agree that it’s a difficult language to learn.
So, I figured I’d make it a little harder for myself.
How well does my “southernese” translate into Portuguese?
For instance . . .
The only Portuguese word I can find for “howdy” is olá.
Hmmm . . . Close but not quite.
Not a biggie. Most southernisms don’t even translate in English.
So, I thought I’d look up a few more.
Y’all is todos. And, all y’all is “todos vós.” So, for my non-southern friends — stop telling me that “all y’all” doesn’t make sense. If the Portuguese people get it, so can you.
“Fixin’to” translates to “a preparar-se para.” That means preparing for.
Pretty darn close.
“Hissy fit” translates to “ataque de fúria” which means fit of rage.
That’s a bit too literal. The “manipulation aspect” of hissy fit is missing in that translation. Children know you pitch a hissy fit when you want something — which may require the elaborate faking of anger, tears, and despair.
In response to your fake fit, your southern mother might snap, “hold your horses!”
Your Portuguese mother would say, “Aguenta os cavalos!”
Which translates to “Wait! Calm down.”
Right on the money.
This country gets me. It really gets me.
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As Stu was reading today’s edition, he said, “You forgot the most important and well-known southern idiom.”
“No way to translate the nuances of that one,” I said.
Bless his heart. He means well.
On another note entirely . . .
My sister, Karen, would have turned seventy today. She passed away seven years ago.
I feel her with me often these days. I think of her most when I wear the beautiful necklace she brought back for me from a Caribbean vacation forty years ago. I have felt guilty that I didn’t wear it often enough. I hope she knew I loved it.
Upon seeing the necklace and hearing my story about how Karen gave it to me, my friend Deborah — who never met Karen — said, “She really knew you.”
Yes, she did.
She knew my heart. And I knew hers.
Happy Birthday, Little Sister! I hope you’re on a fishing boat somewhere or lazing in a hammock under a shade tree. I hope you are getting some well-deserved rest.
Until next time, my friends . . . Obrigada por lerem a Gazeta do Dia da Hump! (Thank you for reading The Hump Day Gazette!)
Janna
Quote Of The Week:
One’s destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. — Henry Miller
Yep, bless your heart is a difficult one with so many nuances. Safe travels home!
Here´s a good Portuguese word to learn. "Discutir." The dictionary´s 1st translation says it means "to discuss" and the 2nd meaning is "to argue". But then I thought that´s an easy one to remember and used it , I was corrected. Apparently only meaning #2 is actually used. I can remember that now by wondering if discussing something inevitably turns into arguing.