{"id":12692,"date":"2024-03-27T15:49:17","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T15:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/?p=12692"},"modified":"2024-04-03T13:11:33","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T13:11:33","slug":"connecting-scots-and-portuguese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/03\/27\/connecting-scots-and-portuguese\/","title":{"rendered":"Connecting Scots and Portuguese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt\">British Council Study UK Alumni Award 2024 winner, Nichola Giovanella Vivian, spoke to CONNECTED to share how they created a multicultural community of people while preserving the endangered Scots language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12702 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"Nichola sat in front of a microphone\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-370x231.jpg 370w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-270x168.jpg 270w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-570x355.jpg 570w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4-740x461.jpg 740w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-4.jpg 770w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Nichola, a software engineer from Brazil, who received a one-year scholarship to study on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reading.ac.uk\/ready-to-study\/study\/2024\/information-technology-pg\">BSc in Information Technology<\/a> at the University of Reading, is the 2024 winner of the <a href=\"https:\/\/study-uk.britishcouncil.org\/after-your-studies\/alumni-awards\">British Council Study UK Alumni Award for Culture and Creativity<\/a> in Brazil. This category recognises alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts and culture, and who can demonstrate their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity.<\/p>\n<p>Nichola won this award as a result of their <em>Palavra Escocesa (\u201cScots Word\u201d) <\/em>project, which aims to expand people\u2019s knowledge about the Scots language, Scotland and Celtic culture, and to reduce the distance between Portuguese and Scots. The project has become a multicultural community for those interested in Scotland, creating an inclusive space for people to join together and learn from each other.<\/p>\n<p>Watch our video to hear from Vice-Chancellor, Professor Robert Van de Noort, on Nichola\u2019s achievement:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Study UK Alumni Awards winner, Nichola Giovanella, gets a special message from the Vice Chancellor.\" width=\"770\" height=\"433\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VpUZe2_zbu8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Read on to find out more about <em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em> and how Nichola\u2019s time studying at Reading inspired them.<\/p>\n<h4><strong><em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>When Nichola arrived in the UK they immediately took advantage of the opportunity to explore and learn more about its history and culture, including an inspirational trip to Scotland.<\/p>\n<p>Nichola said: \u201cI have always been interested in learning about difficult cultures and the UK has a vast documented history. Even after I came back to Brazil, I thought about how I wanted to visit it again and learn more about its diverse culture. I loved Scotland, but I didn\u2019t realise they spoke a different language until I saw a project by the Scottish poet, Len Pennie, called \u2018Scots Word of the Day\u2019. It was through Len\u2019s project that I got to know more about Scotland and its history and the endangered Scots language.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile talking to my friends in Brazil I also realised that many people do not know much about Scottish history, culture or its language. Unfortunately, most of the content about Scotland is written in English or Scots, and only 5% of Brazilians speak English, meaning it is not accessible to them.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cBrazil and the UK may be separated by an ocean, but I firmly believe that we can still find ways to connect and be part of each other\u2019s culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>So, in 2021 Nichola set about translating articles about Scotland from English to Portuguese and <em>Palavra Escocesa <\/em>was born, enabling Portuguese speakers to connect with Scotland. However, they were also pleasantly surprised by the number of Scottish people who wanted to get involved too.<\/p>\n<p>Nichola explained: \u201cI created this project to share my knowledge and to talk about Scottish traditional music, Scottish history, heritage, the Scots language and Scotland in general.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI hope that the more I can share and the more people learn, then we might be able to preserve the Scots language and heritage.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cTwice a week I post a word in Scots and its meaning in Portuguese on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. I also make content about Scottish music, geography, folklore, politics and more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-12701 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Palavra Logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3-370x370.jpg 370w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3-270x270.jpg 270w, https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/Nichola-3.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>With the success of <em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em>, Nichola\u2019s work continued. They said: \u201cLater in 2021, I was invited to become the first South American ambassador for the dotScot domain. Then in 2022, I was nominated for the Scots Language Awards for Scots Project of the Year. I also started a podcast, where I talk about historical and theoretical aspects of the language.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile working on these projects I have had the chance to meet Brazilian bagpipers, Highland dancers, linguists, Scottish people living in Brazil, Brazilians and Portuguese speakers living in Scotland, and Scottish people who are friends with Portuguese speakers. But, most importantly, I have had the chance to inspire people to do the same with other endangered languages.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScots is an endangered minority language, which deserves all the attention it can get. However, there are many other languages in the same situation, for example Scottish Gaelic. I had the pleasure of meeting a group of Brazilians who speak Scottish Gaelic and told me they want to do a similar project which would be amazing to see.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Inspired by the UK<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Nichola shared that if they had not studied in the UK, then <em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em> would never have existed.\u00a0They explained:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIn 2014, I got a <em>Science Without Borders<\/em> Scholarship to study at the University of Reading. Without this scholarship I would not have been able to study in the UK. Without studying in the UK \u2013 and the exposure this gave me to its history and culture \u2013 this project would never have existed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIt was inspiring to study at Reading \u2013 this is a university which cares about its exchange students. Being here gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet people from many different backgrounds and make friends for life. I also got to try new experiences, including archery, kayaking and exploring the University\u2019s on-campus museums. Here, I had the chance to learn more about the local history, England\u2019s rural life and art, as well as visiting Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWhat really struck me about the UK is how its history is present in everyday life, which was a key inspiration behind <em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very thankful I got this opportunity to meet so many people from different cultures when I was studying in England, and how this has led to me winning this Study UK award. Winning this award means a lot to me and it&#8217;s a sign that this project is on the right track. Now, I feel more determined to keep working on <em>Palavra Escocesa<\/em> and to expand it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To hear more of our British Council Study UK Alumni successes, <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/03\/27\/transformative-education\/\">read Sushan\u2019s story<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>British Council Study UK Alumni Award 2024 winner, Nichola Giovanella Vivian, spoke to CONNECTED to share how they created a multicultural community of people while preserving the endangered Scots language. Nichola, a software engineer from Brazil, who received a one-year scholarship to study on the BSc in Information Technology at the University of Reading, is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":12695,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[54,119,69,70,34,73,108,45],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Connecting Scots and Portuguese - Connected<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"British Council Study UK Alumni Award 2024 winner, Nichola Giovanella Vivian, shared how they are preserving the Scots language.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/connected\/2024\/03\/27\/connecting-scots-and-portuguese\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Connecting Scots and Portuguese - 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