Lara Barnett Aug 24, 2017:

@ Oliveira Don't worry, I was not asking for an apology, I was just helping you understand. Was not meant negatively. Lol !

Oliver Simões (asker) Aug 24, 2017:

@ Lara Okay. I already apologized for the misunderstanding. What else can I do? lol

Lara Barnett Aug 24, 2017:

@ Oliveira Yes you have misunderstood. I was using "maybe" in the sense of "though". In conversational English "Maybe" not strictly limited as a word meaning "low probability", it is used emphatically to mean "although.....etc".
What I meant is that in UK English it is not highly used in this sense but I could not pass comment on US English as I do not speak it - that is what I was saying.

Oliver Simões (asker) Aug 23, 2017:

@ Lara Sorry if I gave you that impression. You said "maybe" when referring to the US usage of "interior", and I basically said that's perfectly acceptable here. I was addressing your "maybe". I did understand your previous comment about UK usage. You used the word "passable". That's clear to me. Between something passable and something not acceptable, I choose the former. "Interior" still sounds like the best option so far.

Lara Barnett Aug 23, 2017:

@ Oliveira You have misunderstood me. i said that maybe its American, but its not the perfect choice if you want UK English.

Oliver Simões (asker) Aug 23, 2017:

Leaning towards "interior" Thank you all for your suggestions and comments. This has been an interesting discussion. Like Muriel, I've also seen "interior" used in both languages in reference to São Paulo state. Responding to Lara's comment: Although I'm not a native speaker of American English, I've lived in the US for nearly 30 years and I'm almost sure "interior" would be understood by Americans. In fact, I've used it several times when talking to my students of Portuguese in the past when they asked me where I'm from. Nobody ever raised their eyebrows! :-) I was never 100% sure about the usage, though. I don't believe "nonmetropolitan area" conveys the same idea; in fact, it's a little tricky. It's correct only if we assume that S. Paulo city is the only metropolis in the state. Campinas, for example, a city with nearly 1,200,000 people (a metropolis so to speak), would automatically be left out, even though it's also considered interior. If possible, I'd like to get some additional input (mainly from EN native speakers) on the use of "from the greater state of São Paulo" before I make up my mind. Thank you!

Lara Barnett Aug 23, 2017:

Non-metropolitan areas Vs Hinterland Vs Interior This is a better option than "hinterland". "Hinterland" and some of the similar words may hold the meaning, but you must consider English usage. In the context you could not use hinterland. This word is used academically, in iiterature or for emotional emphasis, and will always hold these connotations if used elsewhere. Therefore use of "hinterland" in this context risk looking like it is odd and out of place when seen by an English speaker. It is not an every day or a very official word basically.

I would say that "interior" could work in terms of meaning, possibly in US I would not know. But to a UK English speaker it sounds passable and not incorrect, but is not necessarily a word we would regularaly use here.

Non-metropolitan areas is a word that can be used here, so if it covers the meaning correctly it may be better.

Muriel Vasconcellos Aug 23, 2017:

I stand my ground "Interior" means exactly the same in both languages. I have seen the expression often in both Portuguese and English in reference to São Paulo.

Benjamin Blocksom Aug 23, 2017:

from the greater state of Sao Paulo.

This entry tries to avoid any rural/urban clash, while at the same time pinpointing a geographical location.

Mario Freitas Aug 23, 2017:

How about nonmetropolitan areas?

Mario Freitas Aug 23, 2017:

@ Muriel, The doubt about the cognate was that it would not include the seaside areas, which are also "interior" in PT. That's one of the troubles.

Muriel Vasconcellos Aug 23, 2017:

Sorry, everybody *In this context*, none of those creative options works. They are far too specific and too dramatic. I'm usually open to variety, but in this case, the only solution that works is the cognate.

Oliver Simões (asker) Aug 23, 2017:

Hinterland: Sertão? Mario, acho que hinterland é sertão. Sinônimos: backwoods, wilderness, backcountry. Grande Sertão: Veredas foi traduzido como The Devil to Pay in the Backlands! Essa tá difícil, hein? Quem sabe os nossos colegas de língua inglesa possam confirmar.

Mario Freitas Aug 23, 2017:

Caramba! Uma coisa aparentemente tão simples tá dando esse nó, hein?
E que tal "hinterland". Eunão estou bem familiarizado com o termo, mas se o Luiz Fernando sugeriu, pode ser uma solução.

Oliver Simões (asker) Aug 23, 2017:

Ruling out Based on what has been discussed so far, I'm considering ruling out heartland. countryside and provincial areas. The inland option doesn't seem to apply to this context either. It means "situated in the interior of a country rather than on the coast". That's not applicable to S. Paulo state; interior (in Portuguese) encompasses both the coastal and non-coastal areas, as long as they are away from "Sampa" and the Greater São Paulo area. The vantage point is São Paulo city, which is also inland (as seen from the Atlantic coast)! When we say interior, we never include SP City or the Greater SP area. Does this make sense, everybody? Any other comments?

Lara Barnett Aug 22, 2017:

Countryside Countryside is the word we use to describe rural areas. It is very specific in its descriptive quality, and is used only when describing, or referring to, the areas of land that consist of hills, field, lakes, mountains, streams, woods etc that are not within cities.
The usage of this is specifically used to define these areas themselves, when talking about being in the rural environment only. It is not really that good used here as it would not include the smaller urban areas that may be present in the state and does not give a very sense of the correct context or perspective here.

Mario Freitas Aug 22, 2017:

Countryside Eu usaria countryside mesmo. Não há nada de errado em coutryside town, o que implica a área urbana do interior. A sugestão de províncias não se aplica ao Brasil e não seria uma tradução viável, a meu ver. Hinterland pode ser uma solução também. E concordo com a Lara que heartland denota outra coisa, pois envolve a importância e a centralidade da região. Uma cidadezinha como Canoa Quebrada não se enquadra em "heartland", por exemplo.

Lara Barnett Aug 22, 2017:

Heartland I wouldn't use this term at all. This is more emphatic or literary.