Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
do Bengo, da sanga
English translation:
from the Bengo river/province, from a pitcher/town/local girl
Added to glossary by
Deborah Workman
Sep 23, 2004 18:08
19 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Portuguese term
United States
Telecom/new media tech, law, bus, mktg
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English, French to English, and 1 more.
do bengo, da sanga
Portuguese to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
I find Bengo as a province in Angola and Sanga variously as a river or towns in that province. Shall I assume that (once again) there are typos in my source text and the words have meaning only if they are capitalized, or is there some other meaning that I should be aware of and am not? THEN, if it is "da" Sanga shall I assume that this is convenience (because it feels more natural to say "da Sanga" than "do Sanga") or shall I assume that Sanga refers to something other than the river?
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +1 | water from the Bengo river, water from a pitcher |
Deolindo
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| 5 +1 | post to Angolan listserv |
Jane Lamb-Ruiz (X)
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| 5 | Bengo and Sanga |
Ivana de Sousa Santos
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| 4 +1 | Bengo's / Sanga's water |
António Ribeiro
|
Proposed translations
+1
13 hrs
Selected
water from the Bengo river, water from a pitcher
Sanga -pitcher, jar (it is in Aurélio as a synonym of moringa)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Many thanks to everyone for their input to this question! It was Deolindo's response, however, plus his exchange with António, that produced the "Aha!" moment for me. I was able to allude to all meanings of the word "sanga" in my translation, which also then allowed me to leave room for the double meaning that António suggested is possible. Jane, you are quite right that some of these cultural questions may be best researched elsewhere, and thank you for making some referrals. Had I been more familiar with using listservs, I might have gone there, but because I'm not (yet) and in the interest of time I used the fine support that I got here. Thanks, everyone, for your patience!"
17 mins
Ivana de Sousa Santos
Portugal
Portugal
Native in Portuguese
Portugal
Responsible and dedicated
Native in: Portuguese 
, French
Works in: French to Portuguese, English to Portuguese, Spanish to Portuguese, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
12
Bengo and Sanga
Bengo is a province of Angola, while Sanga is a city in the province of Cabinda. It can be "from Bengo, from Sanga", but the context is lacking.
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Note added at 2 hrs 7 mins (2004-09-23 20:16:11 GMT)
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\"Bengo\'s and Sanga\'s water\"
I think you can say like this.
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Note added at 2 hrs 7 mins (2004-09-23 20:16:11 GMT)
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\"Bengo\'s and Sanga\'s water\"
I think you can say like this.
+1
4 hrs
post to Angolan listserv
Deborah
Why don't you 1) contact a college professor that teaches Southern African literature or history
2) find an Angolan listserv on yahoo
these channels are what work best for these things in my experience.
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Note added at 5 hrs 1 min (2004-09-23 23:10:14 GMT)
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HEre one to get you started: ! from Yale...:)
Dr. Russell Hamilton
Ph.D. Yale Univesity (1965). Professor of Portuguese, Brazilian and Lusophone African Literatures. Brazilian and Lusophone African literatures, Afro-Bahian cultural expressions, Afro-Portuguese Literature ****(Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé e Príncipe)****, and postcolonial theory. [email protected]
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Note added at 5 hrs 2 mins (2004-09-23 23:10:52 GMT)
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And if he doesn\'t know all these things, I am sure he can point to a bona fide Angolan who does....
Why don't you 1) contact a college professor that teaches Southern African literature or history
2) find an Angolan listserv on yahoo
these channels are what work best for these things in my experience.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs 1 min (2004-09-23 23:10:14 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
HEre one to get you started: ! from Yale...:)
Dr. Russell Hamilton
Ph.D. Yale Univesity (1965). Professor of Portuguese, Brazilian and Lusophone African Literatures. Brazilian and Lusophone African literatures, Afro-Bahian cultural expressions, Afro-Portuguese Literature ****(Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé e Príncipe)****, and postcolonial theory. [email protected]
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Note added at 5 hrs 2 mins (2004-09-23 23:10:52 GMT)
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And if he doesn\'t know all these things, I am sure he can point to a bona fide Angolan who does....
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Deolindo
: and with so little or no context any attempt to help would just be guesswork. These words can mean whatever, they may even be an invention of the author. "Sanga" in Angolan Portuguese means jar, pitcher, which could combine with water here.
8 hrs
|
+1
8 hrs
António Ribeiro
Native in Portuguese
Professional in Oil & Gas Industry
Native in: Portuguese
Works in: English to Portuguese, Portuguese, Portuguese to English
Bengo's / Sanga's water
Sanga é uma povoação na Província do Cuanza Sul em Angola.
Bengo é o nome de um rio na Província do Bengo.
A água do Bengo, como tal, não tem nada de especial. Não é mais do que uma água igual à de muitos outros rios. O que é especial é a expressão "beber água do Bengo". Diz-se que um europeu (homem) "bebeu água do Bengo" quando se apaixona/envolve com uma mulher/rapariga local, particularmente se ela for mulata. É uma expressão muito comum em Luanda.
Bengo é o nome de um rio na Província do Bengo.
A água do Bengo, como tal, não tem nada de especial. Não é mais do que uma água igual à de muitos outros rios. O que é especial é a expressão "beber água do Bengo". Diz-se que um europeu (homem) "bebeu água do Bengo" quando se apaixona/envolve com uma mulher/rapariga local, particularmente se ela for mulata. É uma expressão muito comum em Luanda.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Deolindo
: Sanga também é sinónimo de “moringue” em Angola
4 hrs
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Não sabia. Conhceço moringue (ou moringa).
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Discussion