Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Dr. Tam Chon Weng Releases the “Diz lá!” App

In support of our country’s Belt and Road initiative, Macao is strategically positioned as a service platform for China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Upon the recommendation of Dr. Tam Chon Weng, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, MPI has successfully developed the “Diz lá!” app. The app was designed specifically for Macao and Mainland Chinese learners of Portuguese as well as leisure or business travellers to Portuguese-speaking countries. The ceremony was attended by over 200 representatives from government departments, universities and industries who witnessed the release of the new cross-platform Portuguese learning tool developed by the MPI. The event was filled with exhilaration.

The ceremony for the release of the “Diz lá!” app and the new books on Portuguese learning was held at 11:30 am on February 13 in Lecture Theatre 1 of Wui Chi Building of MPI. The event was officiated by Dr. Tam Chon Weng, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of Macao SAR, Mr. Pu Hailong, Deputy Director of Culture and Education of the Liaison Office of the Central People‘s Government in the Macao SAR, Mr. Ran Bo, Director of the Policy Research Department, Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Commissioner in Macao SAR, Mr. Rafael Custódio Marques, Consul General of Mozambique’s Macao, Mr. Sou Chio Fai, Director of Tertiary Education Services Office, Prof. Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI and Prof. Im Sio Kei, Vice President of MPI.

In his speech, Dr. Tam Chon Weng commented that globalisation and the ample opportunity jointly built by the Portuguese-speaking countries have widened the scope of communication in Portuguese. When Macao returned to its motherland, the Central Government took note of the current situation of Portuguese-speaking countries and their enormous potential impact on the world. Since then, dialogue and cooperation with these countries have been made a top strategic priority. As a matter of course, Macao is charged with this mission. By virtue of the historical advantages and the strong support from the Central Government, Macao has now become the platform of dialogue between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Dr. Tam pointed out that Macao has always stood at the forefront of the development and application of new tools for learning languages. The efforts of MPI fill a gap in this area by providing Chinese-Portuguese translation services through the use of mobile phones. Macao will now enter a new era: mobile apps designed specifically for Chinese learners of Portuguese will have great development potential in the future and no tertiary institution can afford to miss out on the unlimited possibilities presented. In line with the Macao SAR Government’s strategic priority of strengthening Portuguese learning, from basic education to higher education and through diversified approaches, Macao is committed to the clear and definite goal of developing a bilingual talent base in order to facilitate trade and cultural exchanges between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. Dr. Tam presented the case of the “Specialised Subsidy Scheme for Training for Bilingual Talents of Chinese and Portuguese Languages and Cooperation of Education and Research for Macao Higher Education Institution” organised by Tertiary Education Services Office. Dr. Tam also praised MPI for taking advantage of the current opportunity and making an important step towards promoting Portuguese education and cultivating bilingual talents.

Dr. Wendy Hui, representative of MPI Chinese-Portuguese-English Machine Translation Laboratory, introduced the members of the research and development team, including world-class machine translation experts from MPI Chinese-Portuguese-English Machine Translation Laboratory, and Portuguese and Macao bilingual experts from the Portuguese Language Teaching and Research Centre. The “Diz lá!” app has five highlights: 1) it is the first app of its kind that allows Chinese users to learn Portuguese without boundary; 2) it uses standard European Portuguese pronunciation; 3) it allows users to learn simple Portuguese conversation skills and common nouns and verbs in 23 different contexts, including China’s Belt and Road initiative, travel and shopping, and leisure activities; 4) the learning materials are automatically updated every three months; 5) it is a software programme developed to combine excellence in application, education and research. Those who are interested are welcome to use the app, which can be downloaded for free from Apple App Store and Google Play.

In the ceremony, Dr. Tam Chon Weng, Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, Lei Heong Iok, President of MPI, and Prof. Carlos André presented the guests with new books, including From Portuguese Portugal to the World, Practical Handbook of Portuguese Verbs, Speech and Singing, Learning Portuguese through Literature, Practice of Teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language, Learning Materials on Portuguese Vocabulary Building for Chinese Students and A Tutorial on Multi-purpose Portuguese Writing.

The ceremony for the release of the “Diz lá!” app and the new books on Portuguese learning was held at MPI