A European and Brazilian cross-national investigation into the Portuguese translation of soundscape perceptual attributes within the SATP project

Abstract

This paper presents a cross-national investigation into the soundscape perceptual attributes translation from English into European and Brazilian Portuguese. It is a study within the scope of a larger project – the Soundscape Attributes Translation Project (SATP) – that involves the translation of the same eight Perceived Affective Qualities (PAQs) into different languages through standard procedures. The structure of the paper reflects two separate moments of data collection and analysis. In the first part, the work done outlines the translation process and the resulting Portuguese-language expressions for the eight PAQs. The translation used a mixed-method approach that involved expert panels and online questionnaires. The second part of the paper outlines the impact of cultural and linguistic factors on soundscape perception and evaluation. This assessment analyzed how Portuguese speakers perceive the eight PAQs of the SATP project and compared it with the results of the English speakers. Additionally, investigations occurred on the differences between the perception of European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese speakers. The study found differences in how individuals from Portuguese-speaking countries describe sounds compared to the original English circumplex soundscape model. The Vibrant, Monotonous, Annoying, and Chaotic PAQs did not correlate as in the original English model, indicating the need for further investigation. However, the Pleasant and Calm PAQs had no issues in all analyses and shall remain with their initial translations. These findings have important implications for soundscape developments related to standardization tools, research methods, and test design in Portuguese-speaking contexts, as well as contributions to the growing body of knowledge on the role of culture and language in soundscape perception and evaluation.