What comes to our mind when we think about Portugal? Of course, the voyages. It is one of the earliest European countries that took the initiative of exploring the world through voyages. Portugal is an inhabitant of 10 million people. 96% of its population is of Portuguese ancestry while the remaining consists of different ethnic and minority communities.
These ethnic and minority groups include Italians, Iberians, and Spaniards. The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. Therefore, the country widely speaks this language. After Portuguese, English is the second most popular language. If you want to explore the enriched culture of Portugal and you don’t know about the languages that the people of Portugal speak. No Worries. You can get assistance from Portuguese to English translation services.
Portuguese The Official Language of Portugal
Portuguese is an official language, and people speak widely in the country. Do you know that around 240 million people speak Portuguese around the world? According to UNESCO, Portuguese is the language of the future.
People speak this language in ten different dialects in Portugal. People from different fields of life speak Portuguese in daily conversation. Therefore, to communicate with the Portuguese people, opting for Portuguese to English translation services is imperative.
The alphabet used in Portugal is called Alfabeto and contains 23 letters. It has common ancestry with the English alphabet. The important thing to note is that the Portuguese alphabet doesn’t have consonants K, W, and Y.
English
After Portuguese, people widely speak English in this country. There are no native English speakers present in the country. However, you will find a number of English speakers in famous tourist spots such as Lisbon.
Portuguese people’s interaction with outsiders and their close relationships with English, as well as inspiration from English and American films, contribute to the growth of the English language in Portugal. Also, in recent years, many English-speaking people from the UK, America, Canada, and Australia have been living in the southern part of Portugal called the Algarve. Most of them are retired, and they moved to the Algarve because of the nice weather, beautiful beaches, yummy food, and it is cheaper to live there than in their home countries.
But, for English speakers, English is easy to learn. Some words are similar, but understanding how to use Portuguese grammar might be a bit tricky for English speakers. Professionals use this language in business meetings. People of Portuguese make their children learn English so that they can excel in their professional lives.
In the context of linguistic diversity, professional Portuguese to English translation services play a significant role in effective communication and understanding between these two widely spoken languages in Portugal.
Mirandese
Around 15,000 people in Portugal speak the Mirandese language. It is an Astur-leonese and Indo-European language. People living in the Northeastern part of the country speak this language. Miranda do Douro, Vimioso, and Magaduro are some cities where people speak this language.
Mirandese is one of the co-official regional languages and it is spoken with three dialects that are border, central, and Sendinesse Mirandese. To differentiate between these dialects, taking the assistance of translation services can be of great help to you.
Spanish
Only 10% of the Portuguese population speaks the Spanish language. The Spanish and Portuguese languages developed together on the Iberian Peninsula because they are prone to the same influences. Even then Spanish is not a widely spoken language in the country.
Spanish people have to make more efforts to understand Portuguese people. They can ease their efforts by taking professional Portuguese translation services.
French
Old people living in Portugal speak the French language. It was a time when the people of Portugal were more influenced by French culture. Moreover, French was taught to these people in the 80s.
At present the situation is different. The young generation doesn’t speak the French language anymore. They preferred English over the French language. If you are dealing with a business partner who speaks French and as a Portugal citizen, you don’t know the French language then you must go for French translation services.
Portuguese Sign Language
Interestingly, the constitution of Portugal has also declared the Portuguese Sign language. You know why? Well, 60,000 people are deaf in Portugal. Therefore, they use sign language for communication. It makes interaction easy for them. Also, the interesting thing to note is that the Portuguese sign language is a member of the Swedish sign language. Moreover, it is native to Portugal.
Difference between Portuguese and Spanish
Well, both these languages have Latin origin and they share many loan words too. Written Spanish is also similar to Portuguese. However, spoken Spanish is different.
Portuguese people swallow vowels. The Spanish language has 24 phonemes, whereas Portuguese has 37. Portuguese and Spanish people can understand each other up to 50%. For the remaining 50%, professional Portuguese translation services can assist you.
Final Words
We have covered the languages that are spoken in Portugal. If and when you plan to expand business there, translating your content in these languages will be of great help.
