Tales of a Portuguese Translator

Brazilian Portuguese TranslatorWhile there are many translators around the world specialized in Brazilian Portuguese Translation, there are also a few that manage to stay afloat, in-tune with the latest terminology and necessary skill set to perform  translation at a highly professional level. I believe that in order to excel as a translator one must be a passionate linguist with an critical eye and a clear understanding of cross-cultural  translation and localization.

I immigrated to San Francisco  in 1991 and became involved with translation projects in 1995. I have been fortunate enough to be part of many important translation projects for the Brazilian market. I list some of these projects so you can understand the level of competency I’ve acquired throughout this past 15 years.

  • Joined ATA (American Translators Association) in 1995.
  • Participated in a variety of Portuguese translation projects in 1995-1996.
  • Joined Simultrans in1996, a large translation company in the Silicon Valley. Through Simultrans I was involved in many translation projects, including a large localization project for Motorola’s cell phone division.
  • Joined Polyglot in 1998, a translation company in San Francisco where I took part in many projects, including a major localization project for Adobe that included versions of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.
  • Started a language consulting organization called Brasil Direct in 2002 focused on bridging the gap between English and Portuguese for the Brazilian market through Research, Translation and Brazilian Portuguese Localization Services.
  • Over the past 10 years I have been a free lance  Brazilian Portuguese Translator and Interpreter and have taken part in more than 100 Translation and Interpreting projects.

Beautiful translation is accomplished  through the result of a clear understanding of the markets the translator is translating from and to. Being a Portuguese language teacher/tutor and having taken part on many projects alongside  influential American and Brazilian companies, I am fully confident  my professional abilities excel when it comes to providing professional efficient translation services. The final outcome of a translation should be clear and easy to understand, therefore resulting on an effective cross cultural bridging.

-Fausto DeSousa 
Portuguese Translator and Localization Consultant