Translators look beyond the words.

Some terms seem straightforward… until you have to translate them.

Here’s an example:

Recently, I came across ‘whole foods' in a wellness-related project.

A literal translation into Brazilian Portuguese would be ‘alimentos integrais’, and that’s what machine translation suggests.

It’s a no-brainer, right?

Wrong.

Here’s the problem: if you ask a Brazilian person about ‘alimentos integrais,’ they’ll (probably) think of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread.

But in this context, ‘whole foods‘ are those that remain as close as possible to their natural form. Whole foods are free from added fat, sugar, or salt, and have little to no additives. They also can be slightly altered (e.g., washed, cut, or frozen) for convenience and/or to extend shelf life.

Yes, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and whole wheat bread are examples of whole foods, but the list goes on and on. Think of canned tuna, eggs, meat, plain yogurt, fruits & vegetables (whether fresh or frozen), nuts, beans…

My translation choice was ‘Alimentos não processados e minimamente processados‘ (unprocessed and minimally processed foods), even if it’s much longer than the source text.

As translators, it is our job to go beyond the surface.

Have you come across tricky terms as well? I’d love to hear it!

If you’re curious about food processing, check out this academic paper. 🔗
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Hi! I’m Victoria, an English into Brazilian Portuguese translator, subtitler, and localization professional. I specialize in wellness, well-being & lifestyle, culinary, and fashion content.

If you want to get in touch, send me an email at info@victoriacabral.com 📧 or explore my website.

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[Disclaimer: This post was originally written in English. If you're reading it in any other language, it's machine translation.]