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To write and edit articles related to Portugal, Portuguese people, or the Portuguese language, please follow these guidelines.
Portuguese names
editPortuguese names may be quite long and it is not uncommon for someone to have five or six names. This happens because a person will usually be given one or two names, and will then receive another two to five from each side of the family. And the husband's last name is generally added to a woman's name on marriage—albeit the inverse, i.e. the groom taking the bride's last name, is uncommon.
Normally the names will be arranged in this fashion:
Given1 Given2 Mother'sMotherLast Mother'sFatherLast Father'sMotherLast Father'sFatherLast Husband'sLast
Any combination of this can be used, the most common nowadays being:
Given1 Given2 Mother'sLast Father'sLast
The appendages "de" "da" "do" and "dos" all mean "of" or "from" and should be included, except when naming someone only by last name:
- José de Almeida is correct
- Mr. Almeida is correct
- Mr. de Almeida is incorrect
Some people are commonly known by particular selections from their names: José Manuel Durão Barroso is also known as Durão Barroso, but not as José Barroso.
Translation of names
editWhenever a commonly used English equivalent for a Portuguese language name does not exist, one should not be created:
"Assembleia da República" should not be translated as "Assembly of the Republic", not only because it's not its name, but also because it makes it difficult for someone doing further research, as the proper name is missing.
When they first occur in an article, names should be included like this:
"Assembleia da República" (Assembly of the Republic - the Portuguese parliament).
Then, once the term has been introduced and explained, either Assembleia or the Parliament may be used in the remainder of the main text.
In the same fashion, titles of works of art should not be translated; their titles may be explained, just as is done with other names.
An exception to this rule is a work that has been published in an English-speaking country. In such a case, the name it was published under is the one that should be used to name the article about it. The Portuguese title should be included in the article's text along with an explanation of its meaning, if it is significantly different from the one used on the English edition.