Kevin Freyburg May 4, 2012:

Issue resolved?? Mike, since you used my translation "First Mate" for "sota-arrais" (which was the term actually being asked for), I just wanted to know why the points were then awarded for the answer "chief mate/officer"??

Mike (de Oliveira) Brady (asker) May 3, 2012:

How I resolved the issue In the end I used "First Mate" for "Sota-arrais" and "First Officer" for "Imediato". My logic was the latter personnel were shown to be working on larger vessels and so Officer seemed more fitting. Thanks for everyone's help. I could just as well used Chief rather than First. Sorry I can't split the points.

NataliaAnne Apr 26, 2012:

If you’d like more help, please provide the complete context and paragraph/list.

NataliaAnne Apr 26, 2012:

Mike, there are a few things to consider. Firstly, think about whether the term refers to a qualification or to a position. Next, I’d suggest looking at the context carefully to see if the emphasis is on the fishing activities or on the vessel. My parents used to work as commercial fishers (in Queensland, Australia) and they required different tickets for different regulations. (Note that different tickets again were required when they worked on game fishing boats - as opposed to being primary producers - and when they worked on charter boats.) Size of the vessel is an important consideration as smaller vessels do not have first officers (or any of the other synonyms already given in answer to your question). My experience of typical fishing trawlers and long-liners in Australia relates to vessels under 100 feet, in which case there is simply a skipper and crew. Having said all this, if the text lacks the context to further clarify the term, and is not a piece of specialised legislation in which the term could have far-reaching ramifications, any of the answers already given (first mate, chief mate, chief officer, second skipper) are perfectly adequate and intelligible.

Denise Leitao Apr 26, 2012:

A Chief Mate (C/M) or Chief Officer, usually also synonymous with the First Mate or First Officer (except on passenger liners, which often carry both), então mesmo em inglês pode haver ambos. Outra opção seria traduzir sota-arrais como chief-mate ou first-mate e intermediário como second mate, ou vice-versa. Eu não sou expert em marinha, mas minha melhor sugestão seria achar tabelas de ordem hierárquica ou mais definição do que cada um faz no ramo da pesca, para então achar o termo mais apropriado. Boa sorte.

Kevin Freyburg Apr 25, 2012:

Imediato Mike, I think it safe to say the terms "sota-arrais" and "imediato" are interchangeable and basically mean the same thing - ie. the second in command directly below the skipper. The use of one term or the other probably depends in the actual type of nautical activity. I enclose below a bit of text from wikipedia which may help.

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imediato

O termo "imediato" é usado, genericamente, nas marinhas de todos os países e territórios de Língua Portuguesa. Em outros países, o oficial imediato pode assumir outras designações, tais como "oficial chefe" (Inglês: chief officer), "primeiro piloto" (Inglês: first mate), "primeiro oficial" (Alemão: Erster Offizier), "primeiro oficial de convés" (Espanhol: primer oficial de puente), "segundo capitão" (Francês: second capitaine) ou "oficial sénior" (Polaco: starszy oficer).

Below is the meaning of "sota" from http://michaelis.uol.com.br/moderno/portugues/index.php?ling...

sota = elem comp (do lat subtus) Variante de soto. Exprime a idéia de interior, imediato, vice: sotacocheiro, sota-general.

Mike (de Oliveira) Brady (asker) Apr 25, 2012:

Imediato is also on the list The list also has Imediato, which I am translating as "First Mate". Sota-arrais is somehow different on this list.

Mike (de Oliveira) Brady (asker) Apr 25, 2012:

Sota-arrais Just to confirm, the term is sota-arrais. I didn't notice my computer spell checker changed sota to soda in the context before I posted this.