Saturday, April 5, 2008

Spanglishortuguese

Before the start of the season, I tried to interview Alvaro Pires, who, since he's from Brazil, speaks Portuguese. I speak a little, but I'm rusty, so I tried to interview him in Spanish. The results were a bit comedic.

Here's my translation. If anyone who is fluent in Portuguese thinks I got anything Alvaro said wrong, feel free to let me know.

Your time with the Galaxy, how is it?
Very good. The team is very good. I’m here for the first time, and I hope to have a good season and help the Galaxy to the championship.

When did the Galaxy contact you about joining the team?
I came here for a trial after they offered me one and thank God, I’m here now.

How did it feel to play with the team in Asia?
I felt great. I was very calm and happy to play.

What’s the difference between the style of play in Brazil and here?
Here they play faster. In Brazil, they play calmer, with more technique.

Who on the team do you connect well with?
I converse more with Carlos, who speaks Spanish. I’ve learned a lot.

You’ve only played one MLS team, FC Dallas – how did that go?
It was a good game. I felt good. I was happy to be out there with my teammates and I hope to improve in every match.

At the end of the game, you were speaking with Marcelo Saragosa, what did you say to him?
We talked – he speaks Portuguese, so that was nice.

But what did you say?
Oh, I don’t remember.

4 comments:

  1. Were you actually asking stuff in Portuguese and by coincidence almost all the words you said are identical in Spanish?

    You appear to understand Portuguese really well. As a Spanish speaker, I didn't understand at least 60% of what he said when he was answering your questions.

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  2. I thought using Spanish would be easier than my weak Portuguese, but was confusing, to say the least, because I was trying to understand him and follow up, but the Portuguese was throwing off my Spanish. I'm sure others who are better with languages can transition more smoothly, but as one can hear in the recording, I was tripping myself up. When I speak in one language, I generally have that "brain" turned on, and going back and forth was new and weird for me.

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  3. What is just me or did he say that the style of play in the US was "more happy?"

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  4. David, I'm not sure. I'd have done better figuring out the Portuguese, honestly, if Alvaro had just slowed down a little.

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