University and research

The nineteenth entry is a orientação tutorial, and the noun in the middle of it covers ground that English divides among words with nothing in common. Its first job is academic supervision: o orientador is the member of staff who supervises a dissertation, a orientação da tese is that whole relationship, and ser orientado por alguém means having that person as one’s supervisor. Its second job is guidance in the pastoral sense, so a orientação escolar is study and careers advice and a orientação vocacional is help in choosing a path. Its third is plainly physical: a orientação do edifício is which way the building faces. And in the plural it turns official, so as orientações do ministério are the ministry’s guidelines. English needs « supervision », « guidance », « aspect » and « guidelines » for those four, and « orientation » covers none of them: on a campus it names the induction week for new arrivals and nothing else. So a orientação tutorial is the small-group hour arranged with a lecturer, and reading it as orientation moves it to the wrong month of the year.