Portuguese interpreting & translation services

Portuguese is spoken by about 260 million people across Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, and other Lusophone countries, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. California has historic Portuguese American communities in the Central Valley and the Bay Area, largely of Azorean descent, alongside a growing Brazilian population. Portuguese is a California court-designated language.

European and Brazilian Portuguese differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammar, and African varieties align more closely with the European standard. Focus Interpreting asks which variety you need and assigns interpreters accordingly; for Brazilian clients we assign native Brazilian Portuguese interpreters. Our interpreters are court-certified and HIPAA-trained and work in medical, legal, workers' compensation, and business settings.

Certified Portuguese translation covers civil registry documents, criminal record certificates, diplomas, contracts, and medical records from Portugal, Brazil, and Lusophone Africa, as well as English-to-Portuguese translation for employee communications and marketing. The 1990 Orthographic Agreement unified most spelling, but we still tailor terminology to the target country.