Question 1

Why is there no um before tradutor?

Accepted Answer

In Portuguese, when referring to professions, titles, or roles as a general category rather than a specific individual, the indefinite article is usually dropped. Just as you say ele é tradutor (he is a translator), you say uma posição para tradutor (a position for a translator) because the focus is strictly on the job role itself.

Question 2

Is posição the most natural word to use for a job vacancy in Portugal?

Accepted Answer

While posição is perfectly correct and commonly used in formal corporate contexts, the word vaga is generally more common and natural in everyday Portuguese for a job opening. You will very often hear the phrase a empresa abriu uma vaga.

Question 3

Could I use the preposition de instead of para here?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you could absolutely say uma posição de tradutor. Using de functions similarly to a compound noun in English, describing the nature of the role (a translator position). Using para emphasizes the target or purpose of the vacancy (a position for a translator). Both are perfectly valid and interchangeable in this context.

Question 4

Since the masculine form tradutor is used, does this mean the company is only looking for a male translator?

Accepted Answer

No. In Portuguese, the masculine form of a noun is used as the generic default when referring to an unspecified person or a general category. Unless they specifically wanted to hire a woman (which would be uma posição para tradutora), using tradutor keeps the job opening gender-neutral.

A empresa abriu uma posição para tradutor.

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