SJL: 请问您在广州生活了多长时间？在广州有什么有趣的经历吗？
How long have you been in Guangzhou? Could you share some interesting experiences you have had in Guangzhou?

自从两年半前来到广州，我的生活就发生了切实的变化，在这之前我从没想过会来中国任职。刚来到中国的时候，我像所有外国人一样因为语言不通而感到茫然，但除此之外，还有一些奇妙的经历。我曾遇到过一个拿着手机的乞丐，通过微信转账的方式讨钱；还有一位我认识的女士，因为老板设了抓蟑螂的陷阱而辞职，她说：“佛陀不会允许我们这么做，因为蟑螂也是自然的一部分”；我也坐过高峰期的地铁，就是在排队区都挤作一团的时间段；对了，我还喝过蝎子汤。
I have arrived in Guangzhou 2 and a half years ago. It has been a change in my life, as I have never considered China for a posting. Besides the common lost in translation that I guess all foreigners feel, I have had a few curious experiences. One was a beggar with a mobile phone, asking for money through WeChat; a woman I know quit her job because her boss put traps for cockroaches, “but the Buddha does not allow it as they are also creatures of nature”; taking the underground at rush hour, in particular when there is no line to get in; eating scorpio soup.

SJL: 作为第一任驻广州总领事，您见证了2018年10月葡萄牙驻广州领事馆的开馆。请问当时您有什么感受吗？
As the first Portugal Consul General in Guangzhou, you have witnessed the opening of the Portuguese Consulate in Guangzhou in October 2018. How did you feel at that time?

设立外交机构并不是一件寻常的事情，能够受到当局的任命在广州开设总领事馆，令我深感荣幸。这个过程的确充满了挑战，尤其是在开馆之初，你会马上意识到自己只身处于一个异国他乡的大城市，成为了2000万人(葡萄牙人口的两倍)当中的一员，而你需要完成一个重要的任务，这也意味着，你需要去适应并懂得随机应变。
It was a deep honor to be entrusted by my authorities to open a Consulate General in Guangzhou. Opening diplomatic missions is not a common thing and I have been given the chance to open one. It challenges you a lot. Immediately after arrival you realize that you are totally alone among 20 million people (the double of Portugal) and you have a task to complete, which means you will have to adapt, to accomodate and improvise a lot.

SJL: 2019年是中葡建交40周年，在促进两国文化与教育的交流上，葡萄牙驻广州领事馆在过去一年中做出了什么样的努力？
2019 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Portugal. What kind of initiatives has your Consulate taken in the past year to promote cultural and educational exchanges and deepen mutual understanding between China and Portugal?

我们举办了音乐会、辩论比赛，并开始着重加强同各高校之间的交流。鉴于葡萄牙驻广州领事馆仅设立了一年左右，要实施具体的项目有一定的困难，但我们正在努力地去践行。我们还发现，比起中国其他城市，葡萄牙语在广州的运用范围并不太广，所以我们也需要为此作出更多的努力，毕竟葡萄牙语是南半球排名第五的常用语言，也是南半球使用人数最多的语言。
We have organized a concert, an eloquence contest and started to interchange with the Universities. Due to the fact that we only opened one year ago, it was not possible to develop a concrete project, but we are working on it. We have realized that Portuguese language is much less developed in Guangzhou than in other cities in China, therefore there is work to be done, after all Portuguese language is the 5th spoken language and the most spoken language in Southern hemisphere.

SJL: 过去的十年里，中葡两国在不同领域中合作成果颇丰，同时我们也看到了未来合作的潜力。请问您能介绍下目前在粤港澳大湾区的双边贸易合作成果吗？
In the past decade, the cooperation between China and Portugal has yielded fruitful results in different areas. We have seen the various potentials for future cooperation. Would you like to introduce the achievements of bilateral trade cooperation in the Greater Bay Area so far?

目前，中葡两国间的贸易平衡并不理想，所以两国都在为改变此现状而努力。我发现葡萄牙人民对中国以及对大湾区都有一些误解，虽然我们曾是第一批到达大湾区的西方人，但当今的葡萄牙人民对大湾区却所知甚少。要改变这种状况必然要付出许多努力，而我们正是为此而来。我们与中国澳门有着悠久的历史情谊，自然而然地，我们会在大湾区内与澳门保持更牢固、紧密的关系，诚然，中葡之间的交流不会止步于澳门，而是以此作为开端。
Our trade balance with China is very negative, so both countries are willing to change the situation. I have found out that there are a lot of misperceptions about China in Portugal and some misunderstandings as well and the Great Bay Area, although we have been the first westerners to reach it, is unknown for Portugal. To change this it will require a lot of commitment and work, but we are here for it. We have an old history with Macau, therefore it is natural that our stronger relations within the Great Bay Area remain with Macau. However, the relations with China cannot end in Macau.

SJL: 去年，葡萄牙成为第一个与中国签署“一带一路”谅解备忘录的西欧国家。请问您认为葡萄牙驻广州领事馆将来在中葡深入合作中发挥什么地域作用？
Last year, Portugal became the first Western European country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative with China. What kind of role do you think the Consulate General of Portugal in Guangzhou will play in the in-depth cooperation between China and Portugal?

谅解备忘录里提及了许多中葡之间有望合作的领域，根据预测中国当局可能提出的提案，我们已向葡萄牙寻求相关的建议，而目前正在等待回复。在我个人看来，海上丝绸之路和海上活动都应该在未来中葡双方主要合作的领域中占据重要地位。
The Memorandum includes many areas of possible cooperation. We are here to make proposals to Portugal based on proposals that the Chinese authorities may want to suggest. We have asked them for proposals and we are waiting. I would say that the maritime silk route and the maritime activities should constitute one of the major areas of cooperation.