Olá, meu querido estudante!
Many of you connected with Portugal for different reasons. Some of you don’t have any previous family connection to Portugal but have recognized Portugal as a safe place to make a living. Even among these, there are various reasons to explain the move to Portugal. Some want to retire in Portugal, others are searching for a stable job over here, and others just like the Portuguese quality of life.
Regardless of the reasons that made you think of Portugal as the place to be, it’s important to invest in ways to connect with local communities—it’s important to invest in your language proficiency. Now, I know a lot of you are already making strong efforts to be proficient and connect with locals—don’t take this personally! In any case, I want to talk to you about the following:
The whole purpose of the newsletter today is to reflect on the relationship between foreigners and local Portuguese people. This is after reading “Please wait to be seated: a Lisboa que só fala inglês está a violar a lei,” a recent investigative article from Diário de Notícias about shops/food places in Lisboa that disregard the local communities to target foreigners and tourists only. Many of these places aren’t owned by any Portuguese person, don’t have any workers who speak Portuguese, and don’t make any efforts to connect to their local communities. Many of them are infringing the law by doing this, as explained in the article.
In Lisbon, several people sit close to Torre de Belém, one of the most popular sites among tourists. (Leandro Fonseca/Exame)
But why is this important at the end of the day? The reason is simple: The lack of connection leaves a lot of Portuguese locals frustrated and upset.
Data shows that foreigners can be helpful for a country’s economy—from the working class to top positions in any company. It’s certainly beneficial to Portugal.
However, the increase in the number of immigrants (representing today 10% of the population) also promoted the growth in popularity among the anti-immigration parties. Just look at the growth of Chega, the far-right party that obtained a surprising result in this year’s election. Chega now has 50 seats in the Portuguese parliament—more than what parties besides PS and PSD ever had since 1974 after the end of Salazar. Chega members are very populist and anti-immigrant in their approach, but their rhetoric is very effective among the Portuguese people who are frustrated.
Many are silent when it comes to talking about their frustrations, but vote for those who they think care about them. They are perhaps your neighbors, the people you see every day but don’t know much about.
One thing I know for sure is that the more proficient and connected to local Portuguese people you are, the less frustrated they will be—because trust cures everything. Trust is all they need.
The DN journalists who wrote “Please wait to be seated” inquired restaurant owners about their “English only” approach and show in the article that owners aren’t even concerned about communicating in Portuguese. Owners say that everyone speaks English. The article contrasts this approach with the opinion of Portuguese locals, who show frustration with having restaurants in their neighborhood that are “English only.”
I end this letter by inviting you to reflect on this, too. There’s nothing bad about a restaurant owned by a foreign person (it’s needed!), but it’s important to support businesses that are committed to connecting with their local communities. Don’t support places that are English only—ask for their Portuguese menu. Commit to learning Portuguese and engage in conversations with your local neighbors. Show them you are committed. If you have expat friends who aren’t on the same page as you in terms of learning Portuguese and connecting to locals, show them why it’s important to learn the language and connect to their neighbors.
The approach you take daily while living in Portugal will impact the future of this country, because only the bonds and the trust you build with locals can stop the growth of the anti-immigration rhetoric.
Enjoy the readings and have a lovely week!
You just read Tiago’s newsletter. This newsletter is sent to all the clients/students who are/were active on Language Consultancy by Tiago. Topics in the newsletter are focused on the Portuguese language and culture.