Os mares cobrem...

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Quasus
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Os mares cobrem...

Postby Quasus » 2014-12-27, 23:10

I've got doubts about a sentence (in bold) in the following passage taken from an encyclopedia for kids:

Os mares cobrem 3/4 da superfície da Terra. Perto do Equador, os mares são quentes; perto do Árctico, são gelados. As correntes fazem com que a temperatura dos mares varie.

As correntes são rios de água que fluem para o mar, em grandes círculos. Os ventos e a rotação da Terra criam as correntes marítimas. Há correntes quentes e frias.


Judging by the context, I take it that `correntes' refers to sea currents. It is said that they are rivers flowing in great circles para o mar. Well, I took a look at a map of currents, and I'd hardly say that they went in circles, but let it be. I wonder what para is supposed to mean. Obviously, it doesn't signify direction, `towards the sea'. Probably it should somehow mean `across the sea', but then I'd expect por instead of para. Prepositions are tricky...

Any help appreciated.

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Osias
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Re: Os mares cobrem...

Postby Osias » 2014-12-28, 1:59

I see you live in Portugal, so I will expect someone better at European Portuguese to reply to you. If it was Brazilian Portuguese, however, there could be two possibilities:

1) It's a typo.
2) They used google translator.
Last edited by Osias on 2014-12-28, 17:02, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Os mares cobrem...

Postby Luís » 2014-12-28, 13:06

Yeah, I think that is a very bad definition of ocean currents.

"Currents are rivers of water that flow towards the sea in great circles".

Your interpretation is absolutely correct, it's just that the sentence doesn't make sense. Maybe since it's written for kids they're oversimplifying it... :?
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Re: Os mares cobrem...

Postby Osias » 2014-12-28, 17:01

Even so.
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Re: Os mares cobrem...

Postby Quasus » 2014-12-28, 22:26

Thank you very much! Perhaps it's a careless translation, indeed.


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