Eu decidi a participar em A Semana de Línguas 2008. É um meme para escrever seu blog em uma língua estrangeira para cada dia essa semana. Para segunda-feira, eu vou escrever em português. Vou escrever a tradução abaixo em inglês. Eu sei que há pouca gente que entender português!

I have decided to participate in Language Week 2008. This is a meme to write your blog in a foreign language every day for a week. For Monday, I am going to write in Portuguese. I will write the translation below in English. I know that few people understand Portuguese!

Havia muito tempo que eu falava ou escrevia em português. Mas hoje encontrei uma baiana que mora em La Plata. Nos falávamos de Salvador da Bahia e o clima tropical. O litoral de Bahia é o mais bonito do mundo! Ela falou em espanhol quando eu falei em português. Era difícil para mim porque as duas línguas são tão semelhantes. Cada segunda palavra era em espanhol! Nos trocamos as direções de correio electrónico e agora tenho uma amiga com quem posso praticar. Alguém sabe alguma maneira para manter duas línguas especialmente quando não há muita gente que falar uma dessas línguas?

It has been some time since I have spoken or written in Portuguese. But today I met a baiana who lives in La Plata. We talked about Salvador da Bahia and the tropical climate. The coast of Bahia is the most beautiful in the world¡ She spoke in Spanish while I spoke in Portuguese. It was difficult for me because the two languages are so similar. Every other word was in Spanish! We exchanged email addresses and now I have a friend to practice with. Does anyone know a good way to maintain two languages especially when there are not many people who speak one of those languages?

I had a conversation with one of the staff psychologists about the government assistance available to people who live with HIV in Argentina. Everyone who has HIV in Argentina receives free treatment either directly through the government or through their insurer. We talked about how useless free treatment is if the patients are worried about more pressing concerns such as where they will get their next meal from. Offering free treatment assumes that patients have the ability to take care all of the factors that will prepare them to receive the treatment. When I speak to patients about why they have problems sticking to their regimen, the complaints range from difficulty understanding how to navigate bureaucracy to not having a normal daily schedule to help them remember to take their medicine.

Many programs assume capacity that does not exist. A recent example in the United States can be found in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The federal government handed out $2000 debit cards to affected families to help them get basic goods such as clothing and food. However, many of the people who received the debit cards took them and used the money for gambling. The program failed because there was an assumption that people knew about common financial literacy; gambling is not a good form of investment.

A key principle of advertising is to know your audience. I think that this principle extends beyond the advertising and marketing sector. Policymakers need to know the populations they serve to ensure adequate policies are enacted. As an individual in the workplace, you need to understand your audience as well and speak to them in a way they can understand you. Remember, it doesn’t matter how important your message is if no one hears it.