Translation agency for professional
Portuguese translations

The German company tolingo is one of the largest and highest-rated agencies for translations into Portuguese and other languages such as English, French, Italian, Chinese and many other language combinations.

Here at tolingo, all our processes are designed to be as customer-oriented as possible; our quality standards have been certified as highly sophisticated and our services rated as excellent. Our global network of more than 6,000 native-speaker translators enables us to process all text types for a wide range of industries quickly and with great precision. When needed, we can also take on additional tasks such as file engineering, the creation of style guides or desktop publishing in addition to overall project management of the translation process. Click here to view an overview of tolingo’s translation services.

As a comprehensive translation agency for Portuguese, tolingo can facilitate translation projects for texts of all kinds, making it possible for you to get a wide variety of documents from a single source. We handle the following types of text most frequently:

• Website translations for e-commerce
• Advertising and marketing material
• Product catalogues and descriptions
• Legal documents
• Certified translations (certificates and deeds or contracts)
• Specialised academic or scientific translations
• Instruction manuals

Ordering translations from tolingo’s online shop is a simple, fast process. Simply upload the document you wish to have translated, then select the target language and one of the suggested delivery dates.

If you’d like to take advantage of our express service for your project, all you need to do is select a delivery date that is earlier than the dates suggested by the calculator. Our handy price calculator will then automatically adjust the quotation to incorporate this extra service. If you’re happy with the price and date, you can then order with a single click of the mouse and we’ll begin processing your project immediately. Depending on the length of your text, you will often receive the finished translation back within a few hours when you opt for this service.

For bigger or more complex translation projects, you can also contact us by phone (+49 40 6379530000). We’ll be happy to advise you; request a quote and we’ll provide you with a free, non-binding offer.

Portuguese speaking markets include a wide range of industries that run production facilities in, or trade with, countries where the language is spoken. Thanks to our extensive network of more than 6,000 translators, tolingo has expertise in a wide range of industries such as:

• Automotive industry and mechanical engineering
• E-commerce, marketing, communications and PR
• IT, finance and law
• Medicine and science
• Lifestyle, travel and tourism
• Insurance and real estate

In addition to basic translation – i.e. the standard transfer of text content from one language to another – tolingo also offers numerous other helpful services (on request) to save our clients time and money. These requirements include:

• Project management
• File engineering
• Incorporating a translation memory
• Creating a styleguide
• Desktop publishing
• Compiling termbases

Thanks to the supplemental services we offer, there’s no need for our clients to spend costly resources maintaining in-house expertise for translation services that they only occasionally need. And by partnering with tolingo, they can also benefit from more than 10 years of relevant industry knowledge and processes that have become part of our routine. Our experienced project managers would be happy to advise you as to which of our services would add the most value to your project.

In order to always be able to guarantee the optimal implementation of your project, the following applies at tolingo:

• Only native speakers translate specialist texts into the desired language variant
• All our translators have proven, in-depth knowledge of the relevant industries and specialised terminology
• Our sworn translators can deliver certified translations
• Project planning always takes the content type into account

All of our translators have a proven native-speaker background in the target language, documented expertise in one or more industries, and relevant training and extensive experience as translators. We check these prerequisites thoroughly through standardised procedures before accepting new translators into our pool. In this way, we can ensure that our more than 6,000 translators are among the best in their field. We also regularly recruit new translators with the appropriate skills in order to accommodate our clients’ growing order volumes.

Mariners and settlers take their language and culture all over the world

Despite its relatively small size and population of only around 10 million, Portugal has historically taken every opportunity it could to gain power and influence around the world. Ambitious navigators and sailors brought the Portuguese language and culture to the farthest corners of the globe.

The most famous among them is Vasco da Gama, who in 1497 was the first European to navigate a sea route to India around the Cape of Good Hope. Other Portuguese mariners followed in his path and established colonies where they landed. Their legacy is apparent in the fact that, to this day, Portuguese is still the official language in eight countries that are geographically very distant from Portugal itself: Brazil, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.

There are many types of Portuguese

As a result of the great geographical distances involved, the variants of the Portuguese language spoken in each of these countries have taken on lives of their own over the centuries. Although there has been an agreement to standardise language between Portugal and Brazil since 2015, there are still numerous differences in spelling, grammar, the use of accents and vocabulary to consider when translating.

In order to facilitate smooth communication, it is, therefore, particularly important to work with native speakers from the respective countries for all Portuguese translations. Thanks to tolingo’s extensive network, this is possible at any time – we’ll always have precisely the right translator for your project on call!

Portugal and Brazil – a shared history, yet many differences

The two countries with the most native speakers of Portuguese are Portugal – a small country in Europe – and Brazil, a much larger one in South America. Although both have their roots of the same language in common, the differences between them could hardly be greater.

Though similar in some aspects, Brazilian Portuguese and the language spoken in Portugal differ in many ways. What is not as widely known is that Portuguese is also an official language in seven other countries in Africa and Maritime Southeast Asia. Given this extreme diversity, it is essential for any translation to be adapted to local linguistic and cultural specificities – a process known as ‘localisation’.

Localisation: It all comes down to the target group

In addition to basic translation, localisation means adapting the text to the respective target audience in terms of content and context. Instead of targeting all Portuguese speakers with one uniform message, a localised text can target your particular customer segment – e.g. buyers in a specific region, age or professional group – and thus significantly improve your chances of winning new business.

From a cultural perspective, Portugal – which took on strong influences from the Romans and the Moors – is one of the most important regions in Europe. The country is the source of many internationally renowned artistic traditions, such as the melodramatic genre of music known as fado and the stunning blue azulejo ceramic tiles depicting everyday stories, fables or love scenes, either individually or combined into mosaics. Less well known – but all the more appreciated by theatre and cinema connoisseurs – are the world-class performances, festivals and events that take place in Portugal.

Brazil is famous for the elaborate costumes and floats that decorate its annual carnival, which is celebrated exuberantly, as well as for its residents’ general passion for football and enthusiasm for barbecues, especially in an informal setting.

Making reference to geographical and cultural specifics such as these allows your texts to be even more precisely tailored to the respective target market. Localisation is what ensures that your texts always carry the intended message, even after being translated. Readers feel directly ‘spoken to’ by localised texts, and it’s a highly effective way to get your message across. The main prerequisite for successful localisation is editing by native-speaker specialist translators who are experts in their language – which is guaranteed for all of your projects when you partner with tolingo.