C1 — Advanced·8 min read·Dystopian·dystopian

A Memória

Elisa trabalha num centro de apagamento de memórias. Um dia descobre que um cliente foi apagado contra a sua vontade.

Theme verbapagar—to erase / to wipe

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Story opening — Portuguese with English Translation

Elisa era técnica de memória no Centro Lethé, uma clínica licenciada que oferecia o serviço de apagamento selectivo de recordações traumáticas. O procedimento era legal, regulado e, segundo os brochuras, inteiramente voluntário. Elisa gostava do seu trabalho — imaginava que ajudava pessoas a libertarem-se de peso desnecessário.

Elisa was a memory technician at the Lethe Centre, a licensed clinic that offered the service of selective erasure of traumatic memories. The procedure was legal, regulated and, according to the brochures, entirely voluntary. Elisa liked her job — she imagined she was helping people free themselves from unnecessary burdens.

O processo de rotina era simples: o cliente assinava um formulário de consentimento, descrevia as memórias-alvo numa entrevista de triagem, e depois o técnico calibrava o equipamento de acordo com os parâmetros neurológicos específicos. Elisa tinha feito o procedimento trezentas e quarenta e dois vezes. Nunca tinha encontrado nada fora do comum — até ao cliente do processo 7741.

The routine process was simple: the client signed a consent form, described the target memories in a screening interview, and then the technician calibrated the equipment according to specific neurological parameters. Elisa had performed the procedure three hundred and forty-two times. She had never found anything out of the ordinary — until the client in file 7741.

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Vocabulary Glossary

WordMeaning
apagamentoerasure / deletion
consentimentoconsent
discrepânciadiscrepancy
triagemscreening / triage
adiarto postpone / to delay
cúmpliceaccomplice / complicit
construirto construct / to build
apagarto erase / to wipe / to delete
apagaerases (3rd person singular, present of apagar)
apagouerased (3rd person singular, past of apagar)
apagadaserased (feminine plural past participle)
memóriamemory
memóriasmemories
recordaçõesrecollections / memories
traumáticastraumatic (feminine plural)
selectivoselective (masculine)
técnicatechnician (feminine) / technical (feminine adjective)
clínicaclinic
licenciadalicensed / certified (feminine)
oferecerto offer / to provide
ofereciaoffered / provided (imperfect)
procedimentoprocedure / process
legallegal
reguladoregulated (masculine)
inteiramenteentirely / completely
voluntáriovoluntary (masculine)
brochurabrochure
segundoaccording to
imaginarto imagine
imaginavaimagined / used to imagine (imperfect)
libertarto free / to liberate
libertarem-seto free themselves (reflexive infinitive)
pesoweight / burden
desnecessáriounnecessary (masculine)
rotinaroutine
de rotinaroutine (adjective phrase)
assinarto sign
assinavasigned / used to sign (imperfect)
formulárioform
descreverto describe
descreviadescribed / used to describe (imperfect)
memórias-alvotarget memories
entrevistainterview
calibrarto calibrate
calibravacalibrated / used to calibrate (imperfect)
equipamentoequipment
parâmetrosparameters
neurológicosneurological (masculine plural)
específicosspecific (masculine plural)
realizarto perform / to carry out
realizadoperformed / carried out (past participle)
fora do comumout of the ordinary / unusual
processofile / case / process
clienteclient
meia-idademiddle age
homem de meia-idademiddle-aged man
apresentar-seto present oneself / to introduce oneself
apresentava-sepresented himself (reflexive imperfect)
calmocalm (masculine)
cooperantecooperative
compararto compare
comparoucompared (3rd person singular, past)
registosrecords / files
notarto notice
notounoticed (3rd person singular, past of notar)
assinaturasignature
bilhete de identidadeidentity card
apresentarto present / to show
apresentadopresented (past participle)
ligeiramenteslightly / a little
suficientementesufficiently / enough
quem sabia olharsomeone who knew how to look (idiom)
adiupostponed (3rd person singular, past of adiar)
pretextopretext / excuse
sob pretextounder the pretext of
investigarto investigate
investigouinvestigated (3rd person singular, past)
antigoformer / old (masculine)
funcionárioemployee / civil servant
ministérioministry
habitaçãohousing
apresentar queixato file a complaint
queixacomplaint
corrupçãocorruption
arquivadaarchived / shelved (feminine past participle)
arquivarto archive / to shelve (a case)
a ponto deabout to / on the verge of
provavelmenteprobably
documentarto document
documentavamdocumented (3rd plural, imperfect)
questãoquestion / issue
enfrentarto face / to confront
enfrentoufaced (3rd person singular, past of enfrentar)
restaurarto restore
restaurasserestored (imperfect subjunctive)
preservarto preserve / to protect
preservassepreserved (imperfect subjunctive)
agirto act
estariawould be (3rd person singular, conditional of estar)
actualcurrent / present (adjective)
preferirto prefer
preferissepreferred (imperfect subjunctive)
esquecerto forget
tornar-seto become
tornava-sewas becoming (reflexive imperfect)
completamentecompletely
frentefront
à frente dein front of
botãobutton
botão de iníciostart button
dedofinger
sobreon / over / about
identidadeidentity
sobreviverto survive
pode sobrevivercan survive
constroemconstruct / build (3rd plural, present of construir)
jáalready
aindastill / yet
nuncanever
semprealways
apenasonly / merely
talvezperhaps / maybe
claroclearly / of course
realmentereally / truly
finalmentefinally
assimthus / in this way
serviçoservice
recordaçãorecollection / memory (singular)
gostar deto like / to enjoy
gostavaliked / used to like (imperfect)
trabalhowork / job
desnecessáriounnecessary (masculine)
assinaturasignature
bilhete de identidadeidentity card
ligeiramenteslightly
suficientementesufficiently / enough
antigo funcionárioformer employee
apresentar queixato file a complaint
há dois mesestwo months ago
a ponto deabout to / on the verge of
provavelmenteprobably
questãoquestion / issue / matter
simplessimple
restaurarto restore
preservarto preserve / to protect
actualcurrent / present
preferirto prefer
esquecerto forget
tornar-se cúmpliceto become complicit
completamentecompletely
vinte minutostwenty minutes
dedofinger
iníciostart / beginning
sobreviverto survive
constroemconstruct / build (3rd plural, present of construir)
investigarto investigate
sub pretexto técnicounder a technical pretext
trezentos e quarenta e doisthree hundred and forty-two
nunca tinha encontradohad never found (pluperfect)
até aountil / up to
dilemadilemma
moralmoral / ethical
agir semto act without
talvezperhaps / maybe
sewhether (conjunction)
compreenderto understand
compreendiaunderstood (imperfect of compreender)
técnica de memóriamemory technician
Centro LethéLethe Centre (named after the river of forgetfulness)
apagamento selectivoselective erasure
recordações traumáticastraumatic memories
inteiramente voluntárioentirely voluntary
ajudar pessoas a libertarem-seto help people free themselves
de peso desnecessáriofrom unnecessary burden
formulário de consentimentoconsent form
entrevista de triagemscreening interview
de acordo comaccording to / in accordance with
parâmetros neurológicos específicosspecific neurological parameters
trezentas e quarenta e dois vezesthree hundred and forty-two times
nada fora do comumnothing out of the ordinary
até ao cliente do processo 7741until the client in file 7741
calmo e cooperantecalm and cooperative
discrepância na assinaturadiscrepancy in the signature
ligeiramente diferenteslightly different
suficientemente diferente para quem sabia olhardifferent enough for one who knew how to look
sob pretexto técnicounder a technical pretext
antigo funcionário do Ministério da Habitaçãoformer Ministry of Housing employee
queixa por corrupçãocomplaint for corruption
queixa arquivadaarchived complaint / shelved complaint
a ponto de ter apagadas as memóriasabout to have his memories erased
consentimento actualcurrent consent
talvez ele preferisse esquecerperhaps he preferred to forget
durante vinte minutosfor twenty minutes
com o dedo sobre o botão de iníciowith her finger on the start button
a identidade de uma pessoaa person's identity

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