Uma língua, várias culturas: algumas reflexões sobre os aspetos sociolinguísticos na localização em português brasileiro e em português europeu
One Language, Different Cultures: Some Considerations on Sociolinguistic Aspects Regarding Localization in Brazilian and European Portuguese

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the importance of the cultural aspects of localization in Brazilian and European Portuguese, the main focus being the address forms. The comparative analysis of localized versions of Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail and Skype show that linguistic and etiquette norms of address are maintained in adapting these products to the Brazilian and Portuguese markets. In the Brazilian version, the pronoun você is used, as a strategy of non-formal address to the users, while in the European Portuguese version, the most common form of address in use is the 3rd person singular of the verbs, which indicates a more formal style of communication between the product and the user. Only Yahoo! Mail uses the pronoun tu and the 2nd person, no doubt as it targets a younger, less formal audience. This short analysis tries to show that culture plays an important role in the localization process with pluricentric languages such as Portuguese. It is our contention that, when language is a means of expressing different cultures, when people may speak the same language but not in the same way, the translator should always keep in mind the public’s expectations about communication.

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