One of the most crucial steps in translating Jiki is determining the right terms to consistently use throughout. Generally these are technical terms, or terms used in the Jiki analogies. This is a thread, intended to go on forever, where we can highlight incorrect terms and agree correct variants.
This is the initial set of terms we propose for European Portuguese. We will keep this list updated as we update it internally.
Terms we translate into European Portuguese
These are terms where the Portuguese is used in prose. The “Clarify” column specifies whether terms get an English version in brackets on their first use, e.g. “condicional (if statement)”. Split by theme for readability; every table below follows the same columns.
Values & data types
| English | Portuguese | Clarify? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| value | valor | no | Ordinary word. |
| number | número | no | Ordinary word. |
| true / false | verdadeiro / falso | no | Lowercase in prose. |
| character | caráter (pl. carateres) | no | Post-1990 spelling: European Portuguese silences the c, giving “carateres” (Brazilian keeps it: “caractere/caracteres”). |
| integer | número inteiro | yes | |
| float / decimal | número de vírgula flutuante | yes | European Portuguese says “vírgula flutuante” (decimal comma); Brazilian says “ponto flutuante” (decimal point). Use “decimal” alone when the floating-point nature does not matter. |
| index | índice | no |
Functions & control flow
| English | Portuguese | Clarify? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| if statement | condicional | yes | First use: condicional (if statement). Plural: condicionais. Source: Univ. Évora course material. |
| condition | condição | no | Ordinary word; stands alone. |
| comparison | comparação | no | Ordinary word; stands alone. |
| expression | expressão | no | |
| operator | operador | no | |
| statement (executable) | instrução | yes | The imperative sense: a line of code that does something and gets executed. Source: Univ. Évora. |
| statement (logical claim) | afirmação | no | The proposition / true-or-false sense. Pick by meaning, not by the English word. |
| function | função | yes | The keyword function in code stays English; the concept in prose is função. |
| to call (a function) | chamar | no | chamar uma função |
| to define (a function) | definir | no | |
| parameter | parâmetro | yes | First use: parâmetro (parameter). |
| argument | argumento | yes | Call-site value sense. First use: argumento (argument). |
| input (to a function) | entrada | yes | First use: entrada (input). |
| output | saída | yes | First use: saída (output). |
| to return (a value) | devolver | no | “A função devolve um valor.” European Portuguese idiom, confirmed against Univ. Évora course material (“Devolve o valor…”); deliberately diverges from Brazilian “retornar”. |
| return value | valor devolvido | no | Follows the verb devolver above. |
Loops, state & program flow
| English | Portuguese | Clarify? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| keyword | palavra-chave | yes | |
| variable | variável | yes | First use: variável (variable). |
| assignment | atribuição | yes | |
| to assign | atribuir | no | |
| code block | bloco de código | no | |
| error | erro | no | |
| nested | aninhado | no | e.g. ciclo aninhado = nested loop |
| iteration | iteração | no | Verb: iterar; “percorrer cada elemento” also natural. |
| element | elemento | yes | Array element = elemento do array. |
| to run / execute (code) | executar / correr | no | correr in warm/casual register (“experimenta correr este código”); executar in formal or procedural steps. Deliberately diverges from Brazilian “rodar”, which is not natural European Portuguese usage. |
| loop | ciclo | yes | First use: ciclo (loop); then ciclo alone. Deliberately diverges from Brazilian “laço”. Source: Univ. Évora, FEUP course descriptions. for/while keywords stay English. |
| scope | âmbito | yes | First use: âmbito (scope). |
| object | objeto | yes | First use: objeto (object). |
| method | método | yes | First use: método (method). |
| property | propriedade | yes | First use: propriedade (property). |
Tooling & engineering
| English | Portuguese | Clarify? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| workflow | fluxo de trabalho | yes | First use: fluxo de trabalho (workflow). |
| pitfall | armadilha | no | Ordinary word; stands alone. |
| deploy (verb: to deploy) | publicar | no | “Publica o código” for go-live, beginner-facing. “Fazer deploy” appears in professional dev prose but is avoided here. |
Terms we keep in English
These stay in English in prose. Give the Portuguese gloss once on first use in a document.
| Term | Portuguese gloss (first use only) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| string | cadeia de caracteres | First use: “string (cadeia de caracteres)”. Exception: in the string concept itself, explain cadeia de caracteres once, then use string throughout. |
| array | vetor | First use: “array (vetor)”. Confirmed as the dominant academic usage (Univ. Évora keeps array in prose). Exception: in the array concept itself, explain vetor once, then use array. |
| Boolean | booleano | First use: “Boolean (booleano)”. Exception: in the Boolean concept, explain booleano once, then use Boolean. |
| component | componente | First use: “component (componente)”. |
| API | explain what it is in Portuguese | Not a word a beginner knows; first use must explain the concept in Portuguese, not just gloss the acronym. |
| framework | estrutura de trabalho | The native term is understood but rarely forced in practice; explain once, then use framework freely. |
| CLI (the concept) | interface de linha de comandos | First use: explain CLI as interface de linha de comandos. |
| JavaScript, Python, React | (no gloss) | Product / language names. |
| Debug, Test | (no gloss) | As keywords / technical tokens. |
| Code, Bug, Frontend, Backend | (no gloss) | |
| Variable and function names | (no gloss) | Never translated. |
CLI commands (npm install, git commit) |
(no gloss) | The commands themselves are never translated. |
Jikiscript / programming keywords (repeat, function, if, for, …) |
(no gloss) | Always English, including inside prose. Translate only the surrounding explanation. |
Jiki teaching metaphors
Load-bearing teaching terms. Use exactly the agreed rendering; never substitute dry technical language.
| English metaphor | Portuguese rendering | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| box (value container) | caixa | A box that holds a value. |
| chain (array metaphor) | corrente | Physical chain of links; links = elos. Keep the context physical to avoid collision with “cadeia” (used for cadeia de caracteres, the string gloss). |
| input slot | ranhura | The narrow slot you insert a coin into, like on a piggy bank. |
| return chute | calha de saída | A chute a value slides out of. Low confidence; flag for native-speaker confirmation on first real use. |
| machine (function metaphor) | máquina | Direct, concrete. |
| shelves (storage) | prateleiras | The shelves where variables and functions are stored. |
| whiteboard (a function’s internal notes) | quadro branco | Where a function keeps its instructions. |
Please use this thread to discuss any changes or additions you think should be made. Please do NOT use LLMs to generate suggestions and only use your own personal knowledge.