IN PLAIN ENGLISH 

 

(Publicada em 7 de junho de 1.997) 

It’s too late. There’s nothing you can do. Wherever you go, English is there. Whether you like it or not, when going to bed, you’ll have spoken several words that come from the idiom of Shakespeare.

Millôr Fernandes, in his book “The Cow Went to the Swamp” (sic), has written that by reading his book you’ll be able to speak English as badly as millions and millions of people worldwide. If you enjoy English, read that book.

João Ubaldo Ribeiro has already made a version in English of one his books.

Raul Seixas used to sing in English. “How Could I know” was a hit. You can also check out his English version of “Gita”, one of his classics.

Another artiste who used to sing in English was Renato Russo. In “As Quatro Estações” (The Four Seasons”), Legião Urbanas’s fourth CD, there’s a song entitled “Feedback Song for a Dying Friend”. It’s been translated by Millôr Fernandes. Russo has also recorded an album in English.

I’ve already heard on the radio the song “We Want some Pussy”, by DJ Brunno. If a guy tells that in Portuguese, on the air, the purists here in Brazil would go nuts.

From sneakers to snacks, from Fernando Pessoa to Chrystian (now joined by Ralf). As everyone can see, it’s hard to ignore the English massive attack. Because of that, this text has naturally been written in English, exposing my surrender.

And now let me cite the humorist Max Nunes:

“– Boy, you need to learn English.
“– What for?
“– Because half of the world speaks that language.
“– Isn’t that enough?”

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