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| Author | Pedro Carolino and José da Fonseca (credited) |
|---|---|
| Original title | O novo guia da conversação em portuguez e inglez |
| Language | Portuguese and English |
| Genre | Phrase book |
| Publisher | J.P. Aillaud |
Publication date | 1855 |
| Publication place | France |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 182 |
| Text | English as She Is Spoke at Wikisource |
O novo guia da conversação em portuguez e inglez,[a] commonly known by the name English as She Is Spoke, is a 19th-century book written by Pedro Carolino, with some editions crediting José da Fonseca as a co-author. It was intended as a Portuguese–English conversational guide or phrase book. However, because the provided translations are usually inaccurate or unidiomatic, it is regarded as a classic source of unintentional humour in translation.
The humour largely arises from Carolino's indiscriminate use of literal translation, which has led to many idiomatic expressions being translated ineptly. For example, Carolino translates the Portuguese phrase chover a cântaros as "raining in jars", when an analogous English idiom is available in the form of "raining buckets".
It is widely believed that Carolino could not speak English and that a French–English dictionary was used to translate an earlier Portuguese–French phrase book O novo guia da conversação em francês e português, written by José da Fonseca. Carolino likely added Fonseca's name to the book, without his permission, in an attempt to give it some credibility. The Portuguese–French phrase book is apparently a competent work, without the defects that characterize the Portuguese–English one.[2][3][4]
The title English as She Is Spoke was given to the book in its 1883 republication, but the phrase does not appear in the original phrasebook, nor does the word "spoke".[1][5]
- ^ a b Fonseca, José da (May 29, 1855). "O novo guia da conversação, em portuguez e inglez: ou, Escolha de dialogos familiares sôbre varios assumptos". Va. J.P. Aillaud, Monlon e Ca. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Collins Library: The Mystery of Pedro Carolino". Archived from the original on 2002-04-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "The Origins of English as She is Spoke". Archived from the original on 2003-02-02. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "The Evolution of 'English as She is Spoke'". Archived from the original on 2002-12-07. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ Fonseca, José da; Carolino, Pedro (May 29, 1855). "O novo guia da conversação, em portuguez e inglez; ou, Escolha de dialogos familiares sôbre varios assumptos;". Paris, Va. J.P. Aillaud, Monlon e Ca. – via Internet Archive.
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