Brazil

Brazilian Culture

Business Etiquette
Appointments
Business hours are generally advertised as 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but decision makers usually begin work later in the morning and stay later in the evening. Try making appointments between 10:00 a.m. and noon, and 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. If your business runs into lunch, be prepared to spend at least two hours.

Be prepared to commit long-term resources (both in time and money) toward establishing strong relationships in Brazil. Without such commitments, there is no point attempting to do business there at all.

Brazilians conduct business through personal connections and expect long-term relationships. Before you invest in a trip, hire an appropriate Brazilian contact in your industry to help you meet the right people. Your Brazilian contact (called a “despachante” in Portuguese) will be invaluable.

Negotiating
Be patient. It will usually require several trips to get through a bargaining process.

During negotiations, be prepared to discuss all aspects of the contract simultaneously rather than sequentially.

Seemingly extraneous data may be reviewed and re-reviewed. Try to be as flexible as possible without making definite commitments.

Sometimes Brazilians find U.S. aggressive business attitudes offensive– do not expect to get right to the point. Avoid confrontations, and hide any frustrations.

Business Entertaining
Ask your prospect’s secretary to recommend a prestigious restaurant.

Do not expect to discuss business during a meal. You should participate in the conversation, but not try to direct it too much. Wait until coffee is served to begin any business.

Stay at a first-class hotel, and entertain there if the hotel has an excellent restaurant.

If you are invited to a party, it will probably be given at a private club rather than at a home. Arrive at least fifteen minutes late.

A snack consisting of cookies, cake, and beverages is usually served at 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. Brazilian dinners take place any time from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.

The Environment

Brazil is a vast and diverse country, especially well known for the diversity of its environment. The Amazon is the most notable environmental concern because of the danger posed to the rainforest by loggers and the destruction of the O-zone. However, in this newsletter, I would like to examine the marine life of Brazil and the role that the International Wildlife Coalition plays in protecting it.

The International Wildlife Coalition (IWC) established itself in Brazil in 1986. It is a non-profit, non- governmental organization that works to protect environmental concerns and animal and plant life. The strategies employed by the IWC are tailored to the local ambient and the projects are directed by Brazilian environmentalists.

The Sotalia Dolphin Project
The Sotalia Dolphin Project was established in 1991 by Paulo André Flores, a Brazilian biologist. It is concentrated in the Environmental Protection Area of Anhatomirim, the area surrounding Anhatomirim Island. The Project was founded to study the tucuxi dolphins (Sotalia fluviatilis): their habitat, their behavior and the impact of humans on their environment. The scientists develop and use non-intrusive research techniques, such as photo-identification. They use their findings to propose new conservation methods based on scientific research. The Project receives support from the Boticário Conservation Foundation and the Federal University of Santa Catarina.

The Right Whale Project
The Right Whale Project was established in 1981 by Ibsen Câmara, a prominent Brazilian environmentalist. The Project concentrates its studies in southern Brazil, mainly in the state of Santa Catarina. The Project monitors, protects and researches the right whales who migrate to Brazil from May to November to give birth and raise their young. They also maintain an environmental education program about the whales. The educational program includes a closely monitored whale-watching program, which also serves to provide some economic sustenance for the coastal communities. The Project gets support from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.

The right whales are quite distinct from other whales. They have round, black bodies and white callosities on their heads. These callosities serve as identifiers for the researchers, much like human fingerprints, as each whale is born with a unique pattern of them. The whales can grow to be 60 feet long and weigh 40 tons.

The whales almost became extinct until the last whaling station was closed in 1973, due to lack of whales! Since then the movement to bring back the population has grown, and in 1995 the State of Santa Catarina declared the whales a State Natural Monument, which assures their full protection.

Brazilian Film Festival
In cinematographic circles, Brazil has always been revered as a great film-producing country. More recently, Brazilian filmmakers are looking for more. The buzzword? Exposure. Exposure is the biggest reason behind the annual Brazilian Film Festival. The festival just celebrated its fourth year in the beginning of June. It is held in Miami Beach, and although you already missed it this year, it isn’t too soon to get ready for next year!
One special feature of the festival is the atmosphere. The grand premiere is held on the beach; the film is displayed on a 50-foot screen and heard through huge Surround sound speakers. Executive director of the festival, Adriana Dutra, gave the following comments on the outdoor theater: “We want to bring people together in the open air, the way people used to do it, to pay an homage to cinema.”

Check out the following two features of the film festival in the international film section at the video store!

“Fé” (Faith)
This documentary about spirituality in Brazil was one of the festival’s hits this year. Director Ricardo Dias traveled across the country to document different people, religions, displays of faith, celebrations and rituals. The portraits of religious life in Brazil are as pure as possible: Dias did not use narration, instead relying on the people who were filmed to interpret their religion and spirituality. This film is considered a very important documentary of Brazilian life by the judges at the festival.

“O toque do oboé” (“The Call of the Oboe”)
This film, directed by Claudio MacDowell, was the opening film at the festival this year. Citing its similarity to the popular film “Dona Flor e seus dois maridos” (“Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands”), critics are hailing this film as a hit. The film depicts a quiet Latin-American town eclipsed by constant burials. Everything changes when Augusto, a famous musician, arrives in the town. Although he is sick, his music magically revives the town. Its inhabitants become more vibrant and energetic and a dead man is even moved to rise from his coffin. One of the most pivotal events is the re-opening of the town’s cinema, which was closed because there was no one to perform the soundtrack to the silent films. You’ll enjoy this film, typical of Latin American magic-realism, and its interesting cast of characters.

If you are in the area next year, be sure to catch the festival!

Sports

Brazilian tennis star Gustavo Kuerten began to celebrate his second French Open title a little too soon. He thought he had won and had even approached the net to shake his opponent’s hand, but his opponent, Magnus Norman from Sweden, who was not about to give up that easily, contested what seemed to be the umpire’s final call of the tournament. To everyone’s surprise, the umpire overruled the linesman’s call, and that ball, that powerful back- hand that most people thought was out, had apparently touched the side-line. Until that moment, the game had been rather dull, and Kuerten had demonstrated that the Title would come to him without much effort. However, from that point on, the men’s final of the French Open became very exciting because Norman used this opportunity to challenge Kuerten and try to salvage the game.

After the controversial call, Kuerten kept missing chances, losing important points, failing repeatedly to clinch the match. Norman was still behind, but kept the game dragging on. He came back to tie the set 6-6 and forced a tie-breaker. “Guga,” as this lanky Brazilian tennis player is known by his fans, must have felt that his victories were in jeopardy. He was physically exhausted. Apart from feeling a strong pain in his back, the consequences of the past two games, in which five sets were played to the highest intensity, began to effect him. His followers continued to cheer him on, but their otherwise confident support became more and more anxious as the seconds passed.

Finally the suspense came to an end. During the tie- break, at 6-6, Kuerten secured the final two points and won the French Open. The Brazilian fans exploded with their typical “Gu-GA, Gu-GA” chants, dancing and celebrating to the beat of the steel drums usually found at gigantic stadiums featuring Brazilian soccer teams like Flamengo and Corinthians. The game was finally over and “Guga” won the match in a total of three hours and forty-four minutes.

“I am so happy to be here once again,” said the 23- year-old Gustavo Kuerten as he faced the crowd at the trophy ceremony of a Title he had attained once before in 1997. He accepted his $600,000 winner’s check and climbed over the seats to embrace one specific audience member, a Brazilian banking pal named Carlos de Almeida Braga who repeatedly sponsors and supports the young talent. Center court was covered by the green, yellow, and blue flags that Kuerten and his fellow countrymen waved up and down in the air.

Upon that feat, Kuerten moved to the top position in the ATP ranking, displacing household names such as Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Brazilians all over the world were proud because that day their very own Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten became the best in the world.

Slangs and Idioms

One of the biggest differences between the Portuguese spoken in Brazil and that spoken in Portugal is the use of “tu” and “você” to refer to the second person in the singular, respectively. In Brazil, “você” expresses informality and is used to address people who are familiar. Brazilians also use “você” to address people who are unknown that are younger or are of the same age group. Brazilian newspapers, radios and TV use “você” to address readers, listeners and spectators.

It is interesting to note that although “você” refers to the second person, it takes the verb conjugation of the third person in the singular (“você é,” “você faz”) because it is a form of courtesy, and not a personal pronoun. “Você” comes from “Vossa Mercê,” an old form of addressing a person of status. With time, “Vossa Mercê” became “vossemecê,” then “vosmecê,” and eventually “você.” In Portugal, “você” still retains an aura of respect, and is used to address unfamiliar people who are of the same age or younger. The Portuguese use “tu” to address intimate friends, family, and youngsters. “Tu” is a personal pronoun and takes the verb of the second person singular (“tu és,” “tu fazes”). The plural of “tu” and “você” is “vocês.”

In both Brazil and Portugal people use “o senhor” and “a senhora” in the ceremonious or respectful treatment of older people whom they do not know, or in situations that demand formality. Because they are forms of courtesy, they require the third person verb: “A senhora aceita um cafezinho?” (“Coffee for the lady?”).

Brazilians and Portuguese generally do not have problems understanding each other, but some words and expressions are very different in the two countries. For instance, when Brazilians answer the telephone, they pick up the “fone” (receiver) and say “alô!” (hello!). Portuguese would pick up the “auscultador” and say “Estou!.” Other examples of the vocabulary differences between Brazil and Portugal respectively are: “açougue” and “talho” (butcher), “banheiro” and “quarto de banho” (bathroom), “fila” and “bicha” (line), “ônibus” and autocarro” (bus), “trem” and “combóio” (train), “toca-fitas” e “leitor de cassetes” (cassette player), “tela”(TV screen) and “écran” (also computer monitor).

It is curious that so many Brazilian slang terms and idiomatic expressions derive from foods. A difficult problem to solve is an “abacaxi” (pineapple); a handsome man is a “pão” (bread); an attractive woman is an “uva” (grape); nonsense is “abobrinhas” (zucchini). A loved one is called “doce-de-coco” (coconut sweet), and “torcer o pepino” (twist the cucumber) means to discipline a mischievous child. Something or someone that never fails “é batata” (is a potato), and when you face something hard and complicated to solve you stand with a “batata quente na mão” (hot potato in your hands). Unimportant things and people are “café pequeno” (small coffee). A very vain and presumptuous person “acha que é o rei da cocada preta” (thinks he is the king of the dark, sweet coconut). “Enchemos lingüiça” (we fill up sausages) when we have nothing to write or speak about. And now that we have arrived at the end of this delightful walk through the Portuguese language, “Acabou-se o que era doce!” (No more candy!).

http://www.transparent.com/learn-portuguese-brazilian/articles/feb_00.html