Mastering English to Portuguese website translation

Translating your website provides numerous benefits. It attracts global traffic, diversifies your audience, and increases your conversion rate by improving the user experience for international visitors.

Portuguese, in particular, should be a priority for a globally expanding business. Over a quarter billion people speak Portuguese worldwide, with countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Angola leading the way. Localized Portuguese content allows you to tap into these sizable markets and maximize your growth potential.

This guide will explain how to translate English into Portuguese, highlight notable differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese, and discuss the best methods for Portuguese website translation.

European vs. Brazilian Portuguese translation

Regional dialects are a major consideration when translating English to Portuguese, as the language significantly differs between Brazil and Europe. Brazil has a population of over 200 million, nearly all of whom speak Brazilian Portuguese, making it the most common variety of the Portuguese language. Brazilian Portuguese website translation should be high on the list for companies looking to expand internationally.

European Portuguese is spoken by roughly 15 million people. Several African dialects also exist that are similar to European Portuguese. Most Portuguese speakers can understand both varieties; however, they do have subtle differences you should consider when performing Portuguese translations from English on your website. 

Pronunciation

The most significant difference between Brazilian and European Portuguese is pronunciation, which is mainly irrelevant to text-based website translation.

Brazilians usually pronounce vowels more openly and clearly, whereas Europeans tend to reduce or “swallow” unstressed vowels, making their speech sound more clipped. In addition, some consonants (e.g., T and S) are pronounced differently in specific contexts.

Grammar and spelling

Portuguese grammar is mostly the same in Brazil and Portugal, but there are some key differences in sentence structure, especially in everyday speech. Although these may not be prevalent in formal writing, it’s an important distinction if you want your website to seem more familiar and colloquial.

One key difference is pronoun usage. In Portugal, speakers commonly use “tu” for informal situations, whereas many Brazilian people use “você.” This also affects verb conjugation. In Portugal, the verb “to speak” is “tu falas.” In Brazil, it becomes “você fala.”

Spelling differences also exist. For example, “reception” is spelled “recepção” in Brazil but “receção” in Portugal, dropping the “p.” Similarly, “fact” is “fato” in Brazil but “facto” in Portugal.

Vocabulary

Despite their shared roots, Brazilian and European Portuguese have developed distinct vocabularies over time. For instance, the word for “train” differs: Brazilians say “trem,” whereas Europeans use “comboio.” For another example, “ice cream” is called “sorvete” in Brazil, but it’s “gelado” in Portugal.

These differences arose because each country borrowed words from different languages. Brazil was influenced by Indigenous and African languages, as well as Italian and German. Conversely, Portugal incorporated more terms from other European Romance languages.

The best methods for English-to-Portuguese translation

Businesses seeking English-to-Portuguese translation for their website can choose from several approaches, each with unique advantages and disadvantages. Your translation needs and budget will determine the most suitable method.

Menschliche Übersetzung

A professional Portuguese translator can easily translate your website into Portuguese, guaranteeing culturally and contextually relevant translations that match local linguistic expectations. However, human translation can take more time and be and more expensive compared to other methods. A Portuguese translator is ideal for high-value content that requires accuracy and natural presentation.

Maschinelle Übersetzung

AI-powered translation solutions use cutting-edge machine translation software to translate between numerous languages. Many MT solutions employ neural machine translation (NMT), which uses a machine learning method that functions similarly to how a human brain learns.

Popular machine translation tools include Google Translate, DeepL, and Microsoft Translator. These programs can translate text quickly at scale, but they struggle with context-specific language, proper sentence structure, and idioms. They are great for straightforward factual text translation, like FAQs and product descriptions, but not always ideal for front-facing website content and marketing material.

Recent developments in large language models (LLMs) have further advanced machine translation, making it faster, more accurate, and more affordable than ever. Smartling’s AI Translation solution blends the power of NMT and LLMs to provide instant, human-quality translations for half the price.

AI Human TranslationThis translation method combines human and AI approaches to maximize efficiency with guaranteed quality. Machine translation tools provide fast translations for large-scale content updates, and professional Portuguese translators check their work. Several website translation software solutions support this hybrid approach, including Smartling’s translation management system (TMS) and Global Delivery Network (GDN).

How to translate English into Portuguese in 3 steps

You’ll need an accurate translation solution to capture the nuances of the Portuguese language and connect with the locals. Fortunately, Smartling offers various translation tools that maximize your ability to localize all kinds of website content with unparalleled accuracy.

Our AI Translation solution instantly delivers cost-effective Portuguese translations, maximizing your budget and saving time. For English-to-Portuguese translations polished by expert human translators, try our AI-powered Human Translation solution.

One of the easiest, most flexible ways to launch a web experience across multiple regions quickly is with our website translation proxy, the Global Delivery Network. Follow these steps to start translating your website with the GDN:

1. Erfassen Sie Website-Inhalte

Once installed, the GDN must collect text for localization, including menus, pop-ups, forms, and interactive elements. Smartling scans your site and organizes the content into text strings—text units that are ready for translation.

To start, open the TMS dashboard, go to the “Domains” tab, and select the website you want to translate. If it’s your first time running a scan, click “Capture Content” and browse through your web pages to pick up all on-screen text, including dropdowns and embedded content. The captured text strings are stored in Smartling, where you can review and approve jobs before being sent for translation.

2. Erstellen Sie einen Übersetzungsauftrag

Now, you can create a translation job to track translated content, deadlines, and target languages.

Here’s how to create a translation job:

• Go to the GDN project dashboard and select the “Strings” tab
• Choose the text strings that need translation
• Click “Actions > Request Translation”
• Enter details like the job name, due date, and select target languages
• After you submit the job, Smartling will ask to final approval before sending the job for translation

3. Übersetzung autorisieren

Before Smartling starts translating, a project manager or account owner must approve the job. This step ensures the details are correct before translation begins.

Follow these steps to approve a translation job:

• Open the “Jobs” tab in the GDN dashboard and locate the job
• Review the job name, deadline, languages, and translation workflow settings
• Upload any necessary reference files or screenshots to clarify content for translators
• Click “Authorize” to approve the job and select the translation workflow for each language
• Smartling will then process the translations and update your website
  
  

Erste Schritte mit Smartling

Finding the ideal translation service can feel overwhelming, but Smartling makes it simple. Our platform combines AI-powered tools with professional human translators to help businesses translate their websites quickly and accurately. Whether you need to localize landing pages, product descriptions, or blog content, Smartling streamlines the entire process so you can confidently reach a global audience.

For more info, we’ve put together “The Complete Guide to Translation Services.” This free eBook explains how translation services work and walks you through the steps to localize your website. Whether you’re new to translation or looking for a better solution, this guide will help you make the right choice for your brand.