Thursday, December 8

Translation answer keys

Try to follow these important three steps:

1. Read the full excerpt;
2. Mark key words and expressions that might present some extra difficulty;
3. Do not automatically translate the text before understanding its meaning and how it would be written in Portuguese.

First, we will highlight three key vocabulary terms that might have caused you trouble.

“For most of the world, the three decades since the Iron Curtain fell have been a period of relative peace and prosperity. Technological advances have created an unprecedented level of connectivity and cooperation. Growing international trade, globe-spanning value and production chains, and unparalleled exchanges of people and knowledge across borders have brought over a billion people out of poverty. [...] The Russian leadership, however, experienced the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact and drew conclusions that differed sharply from those of leaders in Berlin and other European capitals. Instead of seeing the peaceful overthrow of communist rule as an opportunity for more freedom and democracy, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called it ‘the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century.’”

The words that form the excerpt “globe-spanning value and production chains” could not have been translated individually, as they form a single concept. Hence, you should have tried to find an adequate Portuguese concept for it, which is “cadeias de produção e de valor de alcance global/cadeias globais de valor e de produção”. 

Following the same logic, the excerpt “unparalleled exchanges of people and knowledge across borders” had to be translated as a single concept: “inéditos intercâmbios transfronteiriços de pessoas e de conhecimento” or “intercâmbios transfronteiriços de pessoas e de conhecimento sem precedentes.” 

Here, “communist rule” should be seen as a single concept as well and the noun “rule” has a pejorative meaning. A good alternative in Portuguese is: “regime/domínio comunista.”

Now see if you translated it correctly and remember that there are multiple ways to say the right thing. The CACD board is pretty much sympathetic to style variances.

“For most of the world, the three decades since the Iron Curtain fell have been a period of relative peace and prosperity. Technological advances have created an unprecedented level of connectivity and cooperation.

“Para a maior parte do mundo, as três décadas que se seguiram à queda da Cortina de Ferro foram um período de relativa paz e prosperidade. Avanços tecnológicos criaram um nível sem precedentes/inédito de conectividade e cooperação.

Growing international trade, globe-spanning value and production chains, and unparalleled exchanges of people and knowledge across borders have brought over a billion people out of poverty. [...] 

O comércio internacional crescente, as cadeias de produção e de valor de alcance global e os inéditos intercâmbios transfronteiriços de pessoas e de conhecimento retiraram da pobreza mais de um bilhão de pessoas. [...]

The Russian leadership, however, experienced the dissolution of the former Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact and drew conclusions that differed sharply from those of leaders in Berlin and other European capitals.

A liderança russa, no entanto, vivenciou/viveu a dissolução da antiga União Soviética e do Pacto de Varsóvia e chegou a/tirou/extraiu conclusões que diferiram bruscamente/agudamente/severamente/enormemente daquelas dos líderes em Berlim e outras capitais Europeias.

Instead of seeing the peaceful overthrow of communist rule as an opportunity for more freedom and democracy, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called it ‘the biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the twentieth century.’”

Ao invés de/No lugar de enxergar a derrubada/derrota do regime/domínio comunista como uma oportunidade para maior liberdade e democracia, o Presidente russo, Vladimir Putin, nomeou/classificou o evento como “a maior catástrofe geopolítica do século XX.”