Concerns rise as Portuguese language use shows signs of decline

Nelson Kot

Despite Macau’s status as a bilingual Chinese-Portuguese metropolis, the use of Portuguese – one of its official languages – has been marred by numerous errors and omissions in shop signage and public communications, suggesting a declining cultural influence of Portuguese, with Nelson Kot, chairman of the Macao Comprehensive Social Studies Association, asserting that the government bears primary responsibility for the situation.

Online discussions regarding the importance of linguistic accuracy in Macau have gained momentum this year following the circulation of images on social media showing errors in the Chinese, Portuguese, and English texts on a sign in Areia Preta.

This was compounded by another misspelling discovered in the government’s Lunar New Year installation at Largo do Senado, where the Portuguese term for “Year of the Horse,” “Ano do Cavalo,” was incorrectly written with an extra “a,” reflecting what critics described as lax administrative oversight.

A month later, Portuguese language errors reignited controversy when a netizen posted a photo of a street photo wall near Rua dos Artilheiros, revealing a large graffiti inscription reading “Macau Pú tà” (Macau Portuguese egg tarts in Chinese). It is believed that the shop owner – intending to promote the product through a “foreign language translation” – made an unintentional mistake; without the phonetic symbols, the Portuguese terms translate to “puta,” which carries offensive meanings in English.

Commenting on the declining presence of Portuguese culture in Macau, Kot expressed concern that the trend may affect the city’s international tourism image.

Using the “Pú tà” incident as a case in point, he said it highlights some residents’ and shop owners’ insufficient familiarity with Portuguese, leading to the transliteration of “Portuguese tart” as “PUTA” with added symbols. Kot noted that “Portuguese” has alternative spellings, and had translation software been used, the correct version could have been identified.

However, sensitivity to the issue may have prompted a rewrite using different Chinese characters.

He warned that this phenomenon could have implications for Macau’s status as an international tourist destination, saying, “Many people today may not understand Portuguese, and when unable to find assistance, they resort to using Mandarin pinyin for signage. This practice may negatively affect Macau’s image.”

In a conversation with the Times yesterday, Kot asked, “Macau has always been promoted as a bilingual city of Chinese and Portuguese. Do these misused texts reflect inadequate governmental oversight?” He expressed concern that similar errors by government departments indicate a broader gap in managing linguistic accuracy.

Kot noted that “the government should shoulder responsibility for promoting Portuguese,” recommending that three public entities be tasked with strengthening regulation and promotion of the language.

He suggested that the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) should open channels to provide translation and cultural knowledge support, helping businesses use Portuguese correctly and reduce linguistic errors.

A graffiti inscription reading “Macau Pú tà” (Macau Portuguese egg tarts in Chinese), whose Portuguese pronunciation resembles an offensive term

The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) would be responsible for overseeing street signs and advertisements while helping businesses attract customers and monitor potential mistakes.

“We need to intensify efforts to promote knowledge of Portuguese,” Kot said, expressing concern over the declining emphasis on the language within government institutions.

He noted that post-handover language policy in this area has been insufficiently proactive, explaining, “Portuguese is used mainly in courts or official external documents.” He also pointed out that Portuguese proficiency among Macau’s officials and civil servants is declining, calling it an issue that must be addressed.

Furthermore, Kot stressed that Portuguese-speaking talent is “extremely important” for future commercial development in line with Macau’s positioning as a “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” development strategy.

He urged the government to strengthen educational efforts to promote the language, specifically calling on the DSEDJ to reinforce Portuguese instruction in schools so that young people and university students can learn the language more effectively.

Macau boasts more than four centuries of Sino-Portuguese history, yet familiarity with the Portuguese language is declining. Observers note that the government has not given sufficient attention to promoting Portuguese, as language courses in schools are largely offered only as extracurricular activities.

“In reality, Macau currently has only one institution dedicated to teaching Portuguese,” Kot said, adding that “most of its students are expatriates or so-called Macanese.” This situation results in limited outreach and promotion, raising concerns about the future role of Portuguese in the region.