Portuguese · Spanish · Colonial Records · Public Defender Translation
Historical document translation, transcription, and financial interpretation for researchers, genealogists, and anyone needing a Portuguese or Spanish document translated.
Charlotte, NC · Remote Worldwide · Est. 2026
↓ scrollWho We Are
Casas dos Contos is an American research practice specializing in Portuguese and Spanish historical documents — with a particular focus on colonial financial and administrative records from the 16th through 19th centuries.
Working primarily with digitized holdings at the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino (AHU) and partner archives in Portugal, Mozambique, India, and Brazil, the practice provides translation, transcription, and financial interpretation for academic, genealogical, and public defender clients worldwide — legal work being translation, transcription, and basic financial confirmation of documents, not legal advice or representation.
This is not a law firm, accounting firm, or certified translation agency. Services are research and interpretation work — clearly scoped, honestly described.
Not offered: certified or notarized translation, CPA services, tax preparation, ongoing accounting, or legal advice.
Services
Line-by-line transcription of handwritten colonial documents, preserving original spelling, abbreviations, and marginal notation alongside a clean reading edition.
Full English translation from archaic or early modern Portuguese and Spanish, with contextual footnotes explaining administrative language, titles, and conventions.
Interpretation of colonial ledgers, inventories, and treasury records — including obsolete currencies (réis, cruzados, patacas) and accounting formats of the period.
Tracing family histories through tax rolls, estate inventories, merchant ledgers, and administrative lists where financial records intersect with genealogical questions.
Converting handwritten financial records into structured spreadsheet or database format — useful for quantitative historians and archival research projects.
Guidance navigating the AHU, ANTT, AGI, and partner digital archives — identifying relevant document series and locating specific records for your research question.
English translation of Portuguese and Spanish documents that come up in cases — financial records, personal documents, correspondence — so you know exactly what they say.
Plain-language explanation of foreign financial records — bank statements, property documents, account books — confirming what they show in straightforward terms.
A readable transcription of handwritten or hard-to-read Portuguese or Spanish documents, alongside a clean English summary you can reference or share with your client.
For Public Defender Offices
The work here is straightforward: translation, transcription, and basic financial confirmation of documents. Not legal advice, not certified translation — just making sure you can actually read and understand what the document says.
Portuguese and Spanish documents come up in public defender cases more than you'd expect — financial records, personal correspondence, property documents. When they're handwritten or in an older form of the language, they can be genuinely hard to read without specialist help.
Casas dos Contos can translate and explain what a document says and what it meant in its original context — quick, practical work that helps you understand what you're dealing with.
Based in Charlotte, NC. Available to work with public defender offices nationwide.
Letters, identity documents, and personal papers in Portuguese or Spanish that are relevant to a case and need a clear, plain-English translation.
Foreign bank records, pay stubs, invoices, or asset documents in Portuguese or Spanish that need to be translated and confirmed in plain terms.
Historical or current property records, deeds, or estate documents in Portuguese or Spanish that need to be read, transcribed, and explained.
If you've got a document in Portuguese or Spanish and need to know what it says, get in touch — whatever the context.
Recent Work
A selection of recent projects drawn from digitized holdings at the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, Lisbon.
How It Works
Share your document or research question via the contact form. Include the period, origin, language, and what you need from it. You'll receive a scope and timeline within five business days.
A diplomatic transcription of the original text, preserving all original features — abbreviations, strikethroughs, marginal notes — alongside a clean reading edition.
Full English translation with annotations. For financial documents, this includes currency conversion context and explanation of accounting conventions. For legal or personal documents, a plain summary of key points is included.
You receive a PDF report, the source transcription file, and a follow-up call to walk through findings. Happy to answer questions or clarify anything afterward.
Get in Touch
Whether you need a document translated, a financial record explained, or help tracking down something in the archives — reach out and I'll let you know within five business days whether I can help and what it would involve.