Portuguese speaker?

[NQWWW]

I need a favour, is there a Portuguese and English speaker who can help us to translate a couple of emails re my father's recent accident in Portugal?

[jkklpu]

Send them this way

[NQWWW]

Brilliant, thanks so much jkklpu - could you please translate the following for me:

Hello
Do you remember the rescue you made on Tuesday, 20 September on Odeceixe beach? My husband, Robin, was taken by helicopter to Faro Hospital. He was flown home on 29 September, and is in the Intensive Care Unit at our local hospital.
Your immediate actions saved his life! Thankyou again.
However, the doctor wants to be clear about the length of time that Robin might have been deprived of oxygen.Here are some questions that he has asked, which you may be able to answer.

1 What was the wave like? What was the impact / mechanism of injury?
2 Was Robin unconscious? If yes, for how long? (if known)
3 Did Robin stop breathing? If yes, for how long?
4 Did he need CPR? If yes, for how long?
5 When was he intubated?

As well as answering the doctor's questions, if you could give us a description of what happened and what you saw, that would be very helpful.

With all our best wishes

[jkklpu]

Sorry, NQ, I'd thought you meant translating from Portuguese into English, which would have been fast. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to sit down and do this until the weekend - it's about an hour's work as Portuguese isn't my best language.

However, I have a question: were you in touch with the British Consulate in Portimao or the Honorary Consulate in Faro? If you were, you should have been visited at the hospital by a member of staff and given some advice on what to do next. Do you still have a contact name there? I know the staff are extremely helpful and they might be able to find out at least whether the relevant lifeguard/doctor speaks enough English to answer your basic questions, or perhaps they could relay them for you. Do you have the relevant contact details of the person to whom you're addressing the questions? I also advise that you use your husband's full name and give his age to help them recall the rescue.

It must have been very traumatic for you. I do hope there's good news soon.
And please let me know if you still need help with translating this.

[jkklpu]

PS Portimao consulate contacts here

[NQWWW]

No, don't worry - I think I have found a native Portuguese speaker who can help. My Mum didn't contact the Consulate unfortunately, but she did go back to the beach to thank the lifeguards, but their English wasn't great and she was in too much of an emotional state to think about the right questions to ask. But she did get their email address.

Thanks for your offer of help and good wishes - the hospital will soon be bringing him round from the sedation he's been under since the accident, and will be checking for signs of brain damage, but we're quite optimistic as the brain scans he's had don't show any damage.

[LaCerbiatta]

I'm Portuguese and can translate. Let me know if you still need it.

[jkklpu]

Great stuff, a much better offer. For future reference, if you/any other British national is every hospitalised overseas, do contact your nearest Embassy/Consulate and they'll come and visit you and give good local advice.

Best of luck with your father's recovery.