In 1995, the internet became available in Brazil, and revolutionized the way we communicate with each other. The World Wide Web also brought loads of new terms to our daily lives—login, download, user, upload, and so on…

That said, how would people say these terms in Portuguese? Some of them have never been part of our language up to that moment in time, and the choices made back then by translators would define the way these words would be written and spoken for decades to come. Exciting mission, right?

Let’s take a look at the word ‘usuário’, our translation for ‘user’, for example. This word used to be attached to drug addicts, and it had a negative connotation in the 90s. Nowadays, it’s widely used when referring to internet users. It’s proof that translators can actively change language. Did you know that?

#brazilianportuguese #internet #translation #translators #transcreation #UI #90s