Vocabulary, grammar and forms that need adapting for readers in Portugal.
Demonstration project · SaaS / UX localization
A five-string PT-PT localization review.
A small sample, on purpose. It shows what I look for when English product copy has been translated into Portuguese, and why a version that is understandable is not always right for Portugal.
I wrote five deliberately flawed Portuguese strings and then revised them as I would in a localization review. Each example shows the original English, the first Portuguese version, the PT-PT revision and the reason for the change.
Wording that changes, weakens or misreads what the English is actually saying.
Short, direct language that fits the action the user is trying to take.
A category, severity, correction and short explanation for each issue.
01 / Brief
The setup: an onboarding flow for Portugal.
The fictional scenario is an international SaaS product preparing an onboarding flow for users in Portugal. The job is simple: find what is wrong, explain why it matters and rewrite the Portuguese without changing what the interface needs to do.
02 / Before and after
The source, the first version and the revision.
| ID | EN source | Simulated PT | Final PT-PT | QA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Start your 14-day free trial. No credit card required. |
Comece seu teste grátis de 14 dias. Nenhum cartão de crédito requerido. |
Comece o seu período experimental gratuito de 14 dias. Não é necessário cartão de crédito. |
Locale + FluencyMajor The first version mixes Brazilian Portuguese with a literal transfer from English. The revision uses normal PT-PT wording and a more familiar expression for a trial period. |
| 02 | Invite teammates and keep everyone on the same page. |
Convide seus companheiros de equipe e mantenha todos na mesma página. |
Convide a sua equipa e mantenha todos alinhados. |
Locale + IdiomMajor “companheiros de equipe” does not sound natural in this context in Portugal, and “na mesma página” copies an English idiom. The revision uses the usual product vocabulary and keeps the intended meaning. |
| 03 | Get more done, without the busywork. |
Faça mais, sem o trabalho ocupado. |
Faça mais, sem perder tempo com tarefas repetitivas. |
AccuracyMajor “trabalho ocupado” does not mean “busywork”. The revision restores the idea of repetitive, low-value tasks without copying the English sentence structure. |
| 04 | Upgrade now to unlock unlimited projects. |
Atualize agora para desbloquear projetos ilimitados. |
Atualize o seu plano e crie quantos projetos quiser. |
UX StyleMinor The first version is understandable, but it sounds mechanical and hides the user benefit. The revision says what changes after the upgrade instead of translating “unlock” literally. |
| 05 | €9.99/month, billed annually. |
€9.99/mês, cobrado anualmente. |
9,99 €/mês, faturado anualmente. |
Locale + FormattingMinor The price and billing wording are adapted to Portuguese conventions, including the decimal comma and the position of the euro symbol. |
This is a fictional demonstration by Diogo Neves. The Portuguese examples were written deliberately with errors for the exercise and are not taken from a real client or product.
03 / Method
My review process.
Context
Check the locale, audience, product, purpose and available space.
Compare
Read the source and translation side by side for meaning, fluency and terminology.
Rewrite
Revise the Portuguese so it sounds normal in Portugal while keeping the function of each string.
Verify
Check consistency, punctuation, numbers, currency and terminology across the final version.
04 / Deliverable
What I would hand back.
For a project like this, I would return the revised copy and a short QA report. The report would explain the relevant changes and make recurring language issues easier to spot across the rest of the product.
PT-PT localization QA