This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s Localization Style Guide for Portuguese (Brazil) (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Portuguese (Brazil) translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Portuguese (Brazil) translator reference by ChatsControl.

Portuguese (Brazil) Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Portuguese (Brazil) translation across all spheres requires a warm, conversational, scannable register — formal Portuguese (português acadêmico) feels alien in modern consumer-facing content.
• Address user directly as você (not o usuário, não passive voice) — short, friendly, second-person verbs and conversational tone are the norm for software, marketing, medical-patient, consumer-legal.
• Avoid possessive adjective overuse — Portuguese reads more naturally with definite article when possessor is obvious (Organize os ícones da área de trabalho — not Organize os seus ícones).
• Prefer primitive tenses (Presente do Indicativo, Pretérito Perfeito, Infinitivo Pessoal) over derivative tenses; avoid future tense unless action genuinely future; avoid English-influenced gerundism (Chegaremos amanhã, not Estaremos chegando amanhã).
• Follow 2009 Spelling Agreement (Acordo Ortográfico); reference Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa (ABL), Houaiss, Aurélio dictionaries; gender-neutral writing prefers collective nouns (a coordenação, a classe política, o corpo docente, estudantes).

Register and tone for modern Portuguese (Brazil) translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Brazilian readers across consumer-facing spheres expect a register that feels human rather than bureaucratic — formal academic Portuguese signals distance and institutional indifference to most contemporary audiences.

Three principles define the modern Portuguese (Brazil) register for consumer-facing content:

• Warm and relaxed. Sounds like honest conversation, not a formal notice. Less institutional, more grounded — matching how Brazilians actually speak.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse on a phone screen. Simplicity is the default.
• Ready to help. Anticipates what the reader needs and offers it at the right moment, rather than burying it under qualifications.

Why this matters: Bureaucratic register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion — readers bounce when text sounds like a tax form. In patient-facing medical materials (bulas, orientações) it reduces comprehension and compliance. In software UI it creates friction. In consumer-facing legal documents (LGPD-mandated privacy notices, terms of service) regulators and the Código de Defesa do Consumidor increasingly demand plain language. Only sworn legal translation (tradução juramentada) and pure technical specifications retain the older formal register.

Flexibility: when to translate literally vs. when to rewrite¶

Flexibility is the translator’s discretion to depart from literal source structure when the literal rendering produces unnatural Portuguese. Understand the whole intention of the sentence/paragraph/page, then rewrite as if composing it yourself for a Brazilian reader.

Why this matters: Source-faithful translation produces translatorese. Required in sworn legal translation and certified document translation (atos judiciais, contratos disputados). Harmful in marketing translation (lost conversion), patient-facing healthcare materials (lost clarity), and software UX (lost engagement).

Word choice: approved terminology and conversational vocabulary¶

Words and phrases to avoid (unnecessary formality)¶

Synonyms for variety in longer/informal text¶

Short word forms and everyday words¶

For Portuguese (Brazil), short words used in daily conversation are preferred. Adhere to approved terminology.

Word-to-word translation: why direct mapping fails¶

Strict word-to-word translation makes tone stiff and unnatural. Split sentences if necessary. Omit descriptors to make text snappier.

Why this matters: In legal contracts word-to-word translation produces clauses that obscure who owes what. In medical instructions it confuses patients. In marketing copy it produces flat headlines. In software UI it produces labels users hesitate over.

Sample voice: addressing the user¶

Explanatory text and support¶

Promoting a feature¶

How-to guidelines¶

Inclusive language¶

General principles: comply with local language laws; use plain, concrete words; mind regional/cultural references; represent diverse perspectives; don’t generalize/stereotype; don’t use profane/derogatory terms or military/political jargon.

Term replacements¶

Avoiding gender bias¶

Use gender-neutral alternatives. Prefer collective and abstract nouns:

Additional strategies:

• Use invariable pronouns: “a empresa não recrutará ninguém que (…)” instead of “a empresa não recrutará um candidato que (…)”.
• Use different grammatical structures. Instead of “O candidato deve enviar o seu pedido até sábado”, depending on context:
• Passive voice: O pedido deve ser enviado até sábado
• Imperative: Envie o pedido até sábado
• Infinitive: Enviar o pedido até sábado
• Plural noun forms for generalization: pessoas, indivíduos, estudantes.
• Don’t use gendered pronouns (ela, dela, ele, dele) in generic references. Instead:
• Rewrite to second/third person (você).
• Rewrite using lhe(s) (formal) and te (informal).
• Rewrite for plural noun (usuários) and pronoun (eles). Don’t use ele(a) constructions.
• Use articles instead of pronoun (o documento, not o documento dele).
• Refer to person’s role in plural (leitores, clientes, administradores). If possible, replace role with collective term (a coordenação, not o coordenador).
• Use pessoa or indivíduo.

Real people: Use the pronouns the person prefers (ele, ela, eles, elas, or another). Gendered pronouns are fine for real people who use them.

Notes:

• No guidance currently from official Portuguese (Brazil) language bodies on specific pronouns for non-binary people.
• Gender-neutral language for new content; legacy material doesn’t require update.

Accessibility¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use pity-implying words (acometido, sofrendo de). Preferred option: don’t mention disability unless relevant.

Spell out words like e, mais, cerca de — screen readers misread &, +, ~.

Language-specific grammar standards¶

Abbreviations¶

Abbreviations should be the last alternative to resolve truncation issues. Rules:

• Abbreviations end with a consonant (except: ago., dra., profa., sra.).
• Extended characters preserved in abbreviated form.
• If sentence ends with abbreviation, do not add final period.
• Plural by adding “s” except for units of measure or scientific symbols.
• If space is extremely limited, the most important word should be abbreviated least.
• Period eliminated when misunderstood (macros, commands).

Acronyms¶

Acronyms behave like nouns: plural by adding “s” (os PCs). Gender of foreign-origin acronyms varies by usage (o PC, a URL).

Localized acronyms. When English acronym isn’t widespread among Brazilian audience, use spelled-out form. Some products (Microsoft Project) need acronyms due to UI space:

Unlocalized acronyms. Most technical acronyms not translated (known in English in Brazil). Localized spelled-out form should be provided in parentheses after the acronym first time it appears (as a courtesy):

Protocol names, file formats, well-established English acronyms. Don’t follow above rules — English acronyms widely recognized:

Microsoft product names: Follow source. Example: Internal error in O365 → Erro interno no O365.

Adjectives¶

In Portuguese (Brazil), adjectives can be postposed or preposed to noun, but direct order (noun + adjective) is more frequent. As English predominantly uses adjective + noun, give preference to Portuguese direct order unless postposition plays stylistic role.

Example: Create impressive panoramic photos → Crie fotos panorâmicas fantásticas.

Possessive adjectives: Frequent use of possessives is a feature of English. In Portuguese (Brazil), possessive adjectives are NOT used as frequently. Don’t transfer English extensive use to Portuguese.

Articles¶

Unlocalized feature names should be preceded by an article for fluency:

Note: When placeholder replaces product name, ensure placeholder is preceded by definite article and space.

Localized feature names: Treated as regular proper names with definite/indefinite articles.

Capitalization¶

English uses extensive capitalization. For Portuguese (Brazil), follow standard Portuguese capitalization rules except for software strings.

Capitalization of software strings. Source (English) capitalization is followed in UI options. Sounds unnatural in Portuguese but adopted for localization simplicity (strings translated decontextualized):

• Source: Add to Contacts
• Old Target: Adicionar a contatos
• New Target: Adicionar a Contatos

Note: Rule does NOT apply to error messages. Use sentence case in pt-BR error messages even if source uses title case:

• Source: Failed to Report Event
• Target: Falha ao relatar evento

Gender¶

When facing English loan words, consider:

• Analogy: Is there an equivalent Portuguese term whose article could be used?
• Frequency: What article is used most often in other Brazilian sources?

Localizing colloquialism, idioms, metaphors¶

Three options:

1. Don’t replace source colloquialism with a Portuguese one unless it’s a perfect, natural fit.
2. Translate the intended meaning (not literally) if integral.
3. If colloquialism can be omitted without affecting meaning, omit it.

Example: It’s lonely in here. Go to the Store to add some podcasts. → Não há nada aqui. Acesse a Loja para adicionar alguns podcasts.

Non-breaking spaces¶

Use non-breaking spaces (Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar) between words that shouldn’t separate onto different lines.

Use in:

• Between “capítulo” or “apêndice” and its number/letter.
• Between unit of measure or currency and number.
• Between items that should not be divided (Microsoft Office, Microsoft).

Note: Non-breaking spaces sometimes cause problems in document generation — should NOT be used in online help and documentation live content.

Numbers¶

Numbers 1-10 spelled out; other numbers as numerals.

High round numbers (“1,000”, “4,000,000”, “16,000,000,000”) translated to “mil”, “quatro milhões”, “16 bilhões”.

In technical/scientific/mathematical texts, signage, labels, headlines, marketing: numbers as numerals. In non-technical texts: spell out unless number too complex.

Prepositions¶

Portuguese has far fewer prepositions than English; no simple correspondence between them.

Common errors: translators don’t contract “de” with definite article when determinant isn’t generic, or contract when it should be generic. Also, omitting preposition.

Pronouns¶

Personal pronouns express voice attributes. Address user directly via first- and second-person pronouns (você). Avoid third-person references (usuário) — sound formal and impersonal.

These principles apply to Portuguese (Brazil): address user as “você” instead of “usuário” or converting to passive voice.

For fluent text, avoid redundancy of pronouns. In pt-BR, omitting pronouns when meaning is implicit makes text more natural.

Punctuation¶

In software, follow source text use of final periods — strings combine at run-time.

Bulleted lists. Items composed of full sentences end with period. Items not composed of full sentence have no period.

Comma. In pt-BR, no comma before conjunctions “e”, “ou”, “nem” between last two elements of a series:

Colon. Do not capitalize common words after colon:

Dashes and hyphens:

• Hyphen. Follow standard Portuguese hyphenation rules per recommended grammar books.
• En dash (–). Used as minus sign (with spaces) and in number ranges. Word auto-inserts en dash when you type space-hyphen-text (Consulte as seções A - E → Consulte as seções A – E).
• Em dash (—). Only to emphasize isolated element or introduce non-essential element.

Ellipses (…). No particular guidelines — follow source usage.

Period. Do not use two spaces after a period, even if source does.

Quotation marks. Follow source. US source strings may surround software references with English quotation marks:

Parentheses. No space between parentheses and text inside.

Sentence fragments¶

Sentence fragments help convey conversational tone. Short and to the point.

Subjunctive¶

Don’t overuse subjunctive mode. When translating “Make sure” and “Ensure,” it’s common to see stiff translations using subjunctive. A more fluent translation avoids literal rendering:

Verbs¶

Use simple tenses. Easiest to understand: simple present. Avoid future tense unless action genuinely future. Use simple past for past events.

For Portuguese (Brazil), use primitive tenses (Presente do Indicativo, Pretérito Perfeito do Indicativo, Infinitivo Pessoal) instead of derivative tenses.

Avoid future tense unless describing future action or conditional clause requires it.

Avoid “gerundism” — gerund should not express progressive future as common in English:

Parallelism of verb forms. Don’t ignore verb parallelism within clauses:

Localization considerations¶

Accessibility¶

Some accessible products may not be available in Portuguese-speaking markets. General accessibility info: https://www.microsoft.com/pt-br/accessibility/.

Applications, products, features¶

Product names rarely translated. Feature names occasionally trademarked (IntelliSense). Verify before translating.

When product name contains preposition, translate preposition unless trademark instructions prevent:

Version numbers always contain period.

Version strings with copyright should be translated using approved Microsoft Terminology translations.

Trademarks¶

Don’t localize trademarked names unless local laws require. Reference: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/intellectualproperty/trademarks.

Software considerations¶

Clarity and simplicity are key. Be as short as possible. Consider cross-platform consistency.

Error messages¶

Apply voice principles for natural, empathetic, non-robotic translations.

Use sentence case (not title case) in pt-BR error messages even if source uses title case.

Standard phrases:

• Cannot / Could not / Unable to → “Não é possível”
• Failed to / Failure of → “Falha ao”
• Not enough memory → “Memória insuficiente”
• …is not available → “não disponível” / “indisponível”

Keys, keyboard shortcuts¶

Key names in normal text (not small caps). Most English key names not translated. Spacebar (Barra de espaços), arrow keys translated (Seta para cima, Seta para baixo, Seta para a esquerda, Seta para a direita).

Reference materials: authoritative Portuguese (Brazil) references¶

Normative references (must adhere to):

1. ACADEMIA BRASILEIRA DE LETRAS. Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa, 5ª edição, 2009 — created by ABL in conformance with 2009 Spelling Agreement.
2. AULETE, Caldas. Aulete Digital — Dicionário Contemporâneo da Língua Portuguesa.
3. AZEREDO, José Carlos de. Gramática Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa — Conforme a Nova Ortografia, Publifolha 2010.
4. CUNHA, Celso e CINTRA, Lindley. Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo — Editora Nova Fronteira.
5. FERREIRA, Aurélio Buarque de Holanda. Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa — Editora Positivo, 5ª edição 2010.
6. INSTITUTO ANTÔNIO HOUAISS. Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa — Com a Nova Ortografia, Objetiva 2009.
7. LIMA, Carlos Henrique da Rocha. Gramática Normativa da Língua Portuguesa — Livraria José Olympio.

Informative references:

1. ANTAS, Luis Mendes. Dicionário Técnico Científico. Traço Editora.
2. DOWNES, John e GOLDMAN, Jordan Elliot. Dicionário de Termos Financeiros e de Investimento. Editora Nobel.
3. FOLHA DE SÃO PAULO. Manual da Redação, 18ª edição, 2013.
4. MIGLIAVACCA, Paulo Norberto. Dicionário de Termos de Negócios. Editora Edicta 3.
5. O ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO. Manual de Redação e Estilo. Eduardo Martins. Editora Moderna.
6. LANDO, Isa Mara. Vocabulando — Vocabulário Prático Inglês–Português. Disal Editora.

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Portuguese (Brazil) translation across professional contexts?¶

Warm, conversational, scannable. Applies to medical patient materials, marketing copy, software UI, consumer-facing legal documents. Sworn legal translation, contracts (contratos), academic texts retain more formal register including reflexive constructions and formal vocabulary.

How should I address users in Portuguese (Brazil) translation?¶

Address user as você (second-person formal/standard in Brazil). Avoid third-person o usuário, a usuária — sounds institutional. Avoid passive voice (a senha foi inserida) when active you-form is clearer. Use imperative for instructions (Clique em Cancelar). Omit pronouns when context is clear — Portuguese tolerates pronoun-drop better than English.

How do I handle gender-neutral writing in Portuguese (Brazil)?¶

Prefer collective and abstract nouns (a humanidade not o homem, a classe política not os políticos, o corpo docente not os professores, a coordenação not o coordenador, estudantes not alunos). Rewrite sentences using passive voice, imperative, infinitive. Use plural forms (usuários) with eles. Use pessoa or indivíduo. Avoid ele(a) constructions.

What’s the verb-tense rule for Portuguese (Brazil) translation?¶

Prefer primitive tenses: Presente do Indicativo (você instala) over Futuro do Subjuntivo (quando você instalar); Pretérito Perfeito (você terminou) over compound forms. Avoid future tense unless action genuinely future. Avoid gerund-future English calque (Estaremos chegando → Chegaremos). Keep parallelism in subordinate clauses (Quando você toca…, a guia é exibida — both present, or both future).

Which Portuguese (Brazil) normative references should I follow?¶

Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa (Academia Brasileira de Letras, 2009 — based on 2009 Spelling Agreement), Aulete Digital, Gramática Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa, Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo (Cunha & Cintra), Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (Aurélio Buarque de Holanda Ferreira), Dicionário Houaiss da Língua Portuguesa, Gramática Normativa da Língua Portuguesa (Rocha Lima).

How should I handle possessives in Portuguese (Brazil)?¶

Avoid frequent use of possessive adjectives. Portuguese reads more naturally with definite article when possessor is obvious (Organize os ícones da área de trabalho, not Organize os seus ícones; As teclas no teclado, not As teclas no seu teclado).

How do Portuguese (Brazil) punctuation rules differ from English?¶

No comma before “e”, “ou”, “nem” in a series of items. Do not use two spaces after period. Quotation marks follow source — straight ” ” for software references. Common words after colon are lowercase (OBSERVAÇÃO: esta compra…). Bulleted list items composed of full sentences end with period; otherwise no period.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Localization Style Guide for Portuguese (Brazil) (PDF)
• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Vocabulário Ortográfico da Língua Portuguesa (ABL)
• Microsoft Accessibility (pt-BR)