Why would my curriculum use "la portera" for custodian?

Question

Why would my Spanish curriculum use "la portera" for custodian? It is dated 1992.

Hi and welcome to the forum! - Nicole-B, Sep 17, 2010

Answer 1

In my apartment building in Madrid, el portero (doorman) also mops the floors, keeps the lobby and the elevators and takes out the garbage.

Exactly - 005faa61, Sep 17, 2010

Answer 2

Are you asking if there is a more politically correct term used nowadays?

Custodian is a rather ambiguous word? Is it being used the the wrong context?

cus·to·di·an (k-std-n) n.

1. One that has charge of something; a caretaker: the custodian of a minor child's estate; the custodian of an absentee landlord's property.

2. A janitor: worked nights as custodian of a high school.

I think that definition 2 was used for portera.

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portera

1. m. y f. Persona que, en las casas de vecinos, tiene a su cargo el guardar, cerrar y abrir el portal y vigilar la entrada y salida de personas, limpiar la entrada, escalera, etc.

3. m. y f. Funcionario subalterno encargado de la vigilancia, limpieza, servicios auxiliares, etc., en oficinas públicas.

Answer 3

My son just moved into a new apartment building and he very proudly told me there was a 'conceirge' - I said 'what?' and then remembered the portero I used to have in Spain. Such a nice custom. Is custodian more a janitor? Portero would be the conceirge, right?

I think that the wrong English term was used for her job. She was def. #1 in my reply "a doorman" type of portera and someone used the word custodian instead which is more of a janitor. - 0074b507, Sep 18, 2010

Answer 4

The porter is the guy that runs the hotels right? I thought those guys were called porters? So portero/a makes sense to me if that is the usage.