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Old 04-25-2019, 03:16 PM   #48
Pip Boy
 
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Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: The Wasteland
Default Re: Brazilian Terms for Monster Hunters, Commandos and Spies

Great, I'll do what I can!

1 - What specific shades of meaning does 'Demônios' connote that 'Diabo' does not?
Demônios is Demons, like the class of demons. It's less specific, a broad term. There's a lot of demons.

Diabo (Devil) is a more specific term, like Satan/Lucifer. He is THE devil. There are not a lot of them. Then again, it can be used in the same sense of the phrase "You're the devil" when cursing someone normal. In brazilian grammar they are synonyms, but there's a nuance between them.

2 - Well, Caçador is such an awesome title, I kind of want to use it.
Use it! It's cool to us too!

But what would you (or any forumite who knows Vrazilian Portuguese) have Brazilian monster hunters call themselves, informally, speaking amonst themselves in the inner core of a special unit like BOPE and CORE or with members of other Brazilian tactical teams that they are aware of have similar duties, because they also know about the supernatural threat?
Probably some kind of slang, like "E aí, matador?" ("What's up, killer/slayer?"). The Tropa de Elite movie used a BOPE term that has been integrated to our culture since the film, which is Caveira (means Skull / Death's Head). They call each other like that. Example: Are you a Caveira or not, goddammit?", asks the BOPE captain, to the novice special force, who flinched in combat.

AND they use the same word as an affirmative; i.e, "The enemy is in your sights?", asks the squad leader. "Caveira, captain," replies the sniper, meaning "yes", "hell, yes", "****, yes".

3 - How does 'Comando do Santa Cruz' sound as the informal name used for a secret group inside ABIN of monster hunters who work closely with the occult intelligence of the Vatican?
What Empada said. Comando da Santa Cruz or Comando de Santa Cruz would be more appropriate than DO Santa Cruz.

("De", "do" or "da" are used according to the subject of the sentences and with the pronouns. Basically, it is not recommended to contract the preposition "de" with the articles "o" and "a" or with pronouns (be it personal or demonstratives: he / she, this / this) when they constitute subject of infinitive phrase, since the preposition rules only the verb, not the subject.)

Then Comando do Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz's Command) would only be right if it was referred to a name of a male person called Santa Cruz. If Santa Cruz is the name of a place, or an order, you must use the / de, respectively.

Comando da Santa Cruz is Holy Cross Commandos. It's a cool name. Sounds religious.

4 - Their real acronyms, titles and cover assignments would change regularly and many of them might be PSC contractors rather than officially employed by ABIN, but such secret groups usually pick up semi-official nicknames despite the security protocols (e.g. 'The Army of Northern Virginia' and 'the Activity' for the United States Army Centra Spike/Torn Victor/Grey Fox/MSA/ISA).

Or do you have a better suggestion for what they are called?

I was wondering whether to use a reference to the Southern Cross in the semi-official moniker.

Those names here in Brasil tend to be short. Grupo Protege (Protect Group), RG Brasil, Garra, Graber... Those are real brazilian security company names; you can think something among those lines. Acronyms are also used a lot, sometimes as initials. Segurança PB, for instance, is a common name for "Pip Bpy Security"; ;)

Southern Cross is Cruz do Sul. SC could be used.

5 - In a professional setting in Brazil, i.e. among people who know enough about the intelligence world so that they'd feel stupid using inaccurate media terms like 'spies' and would make a distinction between a person who reported to a foreign intelligence officer (in English, such a person is an 'agent') and the professional intelligence officer himself, what term would be used to refer to someone who seemed to be working as a case officer for a foreign power?

Agente (agent) is the broad term here, in all of the above cases.

6 - Say, perhaps the Argentines, Americans, Venezuelans or someone else, but, in any event, someone trained by a national intelligence service in tradecraft and agent handling. What's a non-cringey Brazilian Portuguese term to use for someone like that?
We probably would say agente or oficial (agent/official) of X country; agente americano (american agent), or oficial argentino (argentinean official), etc.
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Last edited by Pip Boy; 04-25-2019 at 03:43 PM.
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