AI translation got you 90% there. I deliver the final 10% that matters.
Precision Where AI Falls Short
AI handles the volume. I handle the nuance. I take machine-translated content and fix what the algorithms get wrong: the stiff phrasing, the false friends, the sentences that are technically correct but sound off.
"The party must make available all documents which have relevance for the purpose of this agreement."
"The party shall provide all documents relevant to the purpose of this agreement."
Based in the Algarve, Portugal
The Story
Why the last 10% matters
DeepL, ChatGPT, Google Translate. They're fast, inexpensive, and often surprisingly good. But "surprisingly good" won't cut it when a contract needs to hold up in court or a marketing campaign needs to land with German-speaking customers.
I've been working with languages since 1994. I studied Modern Languages at Birmingham, Lettres Modernes at Toulouse. I've lived in several countries. These days, most of what crosses my desk has already been through some form of AI. My job is to catch what the machine missed: the legal term that doesn't quite mean what it looks like, the idiom that fell flat, the sentence structure that sounds fine to a computer but wrong to a native ear.
"AI gets you 90% of the way. The last 10% is where meaning lives."
I work with marketing teams, legal departments, publishers, and healthcare companies. The common thread: they all need content that actually works in the target language, not content that merely exists in it.
I've been in Portugal for over 30 years. Native in English and German, fluent in Portuguese and French. I work with European companies who've learned that "close enough" in translation usually isn't.
Why Human Expertise Matters
What changes when a human reads it
AI Translation Alone
- Picks the most common word, not the right one
- Translates "shall" and "must" the same way
- Uses three different terms for the same thing
- Can't explain why it chose that phrasing
With My Expertise
- Knows when "liability" means something different in German law
- Spots the false friend before it becomes a real problem
- Keeps your brand voice intact across 50 pages
- Someone to call when it matters
Industries I work with
What I Do
Precision Language Services
What I actually do all day
The Human Touch
AI handles the volume.
I ensure the quality.
The part that makes readers
forget it was ever translated.
AI Translation Editing
You run your text through DeepL or ChatGPT. I make it sound like it was never translated in the first place.
AI translation is good at the obvious stuff. It's less good at register, at knowing when formal German needs informal English, at catching the phrase that's grammatically correct but would make a native speaker wince. That's the work I do.
Industries I Work With
- Post-editing of machine-translated content
- Quality assurance for AI-generated text
- Terminology consistency checks
- Cultural adaptation and tone refinement
Languages: English ↔ Portuguese | English ↔ German | French → English
Translation
Professional human translation for content that demands accuracy. When machine translation isn't enough, I deliver translations that capture meaning, tone, and cultural nuance , not just words.
- English ↔ Portuguese | English ↔ German | French → English
- Marketing & brand content
- Technical & business documents
- Literary & creative texts
✦ Your message, perfectly rendered
Copywriting
Words that work as hard as you do. In a world saturated with generic AI-generated content, authentic human copywriting is your competitive advantage. I craft compelling copy that captures your brand's unique voice.
- Brand messaging & tone of voice
- Website copy & landing pages
- Marketing collateral & campaigns
- Voiceover scripts & video content
✦ Copy that sounds like you , only better
Journalism & Editorial
Stories that matter, told with craft and integrity. From investigative features to intimate profiles, I bring a journalist's rigour and a storyteller's instinct to every piece.
- Long-form features & profiles
- Corporate storytelling & case studies
- Editorial proofreading & sub-editing
- Interview-based content
✦ Journalism that earns attention
Bespoke Books & Commemorative Publishing
From a single spark to a finished volume. I transform company histories and individual legacies into archival-quality books , blending deep-dive interviewing with high-end editorial design, managing the entire journey from first word to final press run.
- Corporate histories & anniversary books
- Personal memoirs & private biographies
- Creative direction & graphic design
- End-to-end print production management
✦ From a vision to a physical legacy
Linguistic Range
Four Languages, One Voice
Thirty years of living, working, and thinking in different languages across Europe and beyond
English
Born and raised in the UK, with the natural ear for rhythm, idiom, and register that only a native speaker possesses.
German
Native-level fluency with deep experience in German business culture, technical documentation, and the precision the language demands.
Portuguese
FluentLiving in Portugal for decades, with the majority of my clients being Portuguese. The saudade, the warmth, the poetry of the language , I feel it, not just speak it.
30+ yearsFrench
FluentStudied at Université Toulouse, lived in France. From formal business French to the nuances of local vernacular.
30+ years"Language isn't just vocabulary and grammar , it's culture, context, lived experience. You can't download that."
What Clients Say
Words That Matter
Two decades of trusted partnerships across Europe
Chris Mingay is my person of trust with texts. He and I have been working together for 20 years and there has never been a time since then where he doesn't get what I'm trying to say. He has helped me with texts for projects and funding and he manages to beautifully capture or revise exactly what I'm trying to say. He is that one person I can send my thoughts to and know they will come back written exactly as I'm hoping they do.
Trabalhamos juntos há muitos anos e o serviço que presta tem sido sempre fundamental, tanto na tradução como na criação de conteúdo original. As suas traduções são sempre de elevada qualidade, resultado da sua fluência em ambas as línguas, assegurando uma comunicação clara e eficaz para a nossa empresa.
Chris Mingay worked with us as a regular freelance contributor between 2002 and 2016, mostly supplying editorial translation services. His work was always carried out to a very high standard in keeping with the quality expected of our magazines. Our translations are now all carried out by in-house staff but should we ever need to outsource translation again we would have no hesitation in calling on Chris again to help us out.
Foi sempre um prazer colaborar com o Chris Mingay por mais de uma década. Foram inúmeros os projetos de tradução, retroversão, revisão e edição de textos em que formámos equipa, sobre temas que variaram entre o imobiliário, os livros de receitas, artigos de marketing e divulgação, textos históricos, documentos oficiais e brochuras sobre arte e para o turismo. Além de ser um profissional de mão cheia e de confiança, a nível pessoal o Chris é uma pessoa de ótimo trato e toda a gente ganha em tê-lo por perto!
Tive a oportunidade de trabalhar com o Chris Mingay na Inframoura, entidade gestora de Vilamoura, onde realizou várias traduções sempre com grande rigor e profissionalismo. Mais recentemente, na área da saúde, voltou a demonstrar a mesma qualidade e atenção ao detalhe, sendo alguém cujo trabalho recomendo sem reservas.
I have always admired Chris's language skill, and the ease how he chooses just the right word for every detail in various languages. Without his expertise in words and languages the book ALGARVE ROCKS! would never have been published. I myself am Dutch and the two photographers and the designer were all Portuguese, Chris lead us beautifully through the word-labyrinth and set the gentle and clever tone right from the start in English. I can only be grateful to have had him as our editor.
Ao longo dos anos, o Chris tem sido um profissional absolutamente exemplar. As suas traduções para a PM Media destacam-se sempre pelo rigor, precisão e grande sensibilidade ao contexto editorial, algo essencial no nosso setor. Nunca tivemos qualquer reclamação relativamente ao seu trabalho, apenas confiança total e a certeza de um serviço de elevada qualidade e profissionalismo.
Have something that needs editing?
Get in touchFrom the Desk
Insights & Perspectives
What I'm thinking about when I'm not editing your contracts
Selected Work
Publications & Projects
A selection of published translations, articles, and client work
Books
The Tragedy of Fidel Castro
TranslatorWhen God receives a request from Fatima to help prevent a war between Fidel Castro and JFK, he asks Jesus to return to Earth and diffuse the conflict. A satirical literary translation bringing this acclaimed Portuguese novel to English readers.
ISBN: 978-1938416163
Jesus and Magdalene
TranslatorFull literary translation of "A Segunda Vinda do Cristo a Terra" , bringing this Portuguese novel to English readers while preserving its spiritual depth and narrative voice.
Purple Carrots
Writer & Recipe EditorRecipes and stories from Portugal , ghostwriter for this culinary celebration of Portuguese cuisine and culture.
Algarve Rocks!
WriterA celebration of the Algarve's unique character and lifestyle , chief writer/editor for this vibrant portrait of the region.
The Truth
TranslatorLiterary translation of this Portuguese novel, bringing Ana Teresa Silva's compelling narrative to English readers.
Magazines
Villas&Golfe
2002–Present
TranslatorResponsible for the English version of Portugal's premier luxury lifestyle magazine, covering high-profile interviews, architecture & design, economy & business, travel, sport and food.
Essential Algarve
2002–2016
Translator & WriterLong-standing contributor to this regional lifestyle publication, translating and creating editorial content on culture, travel, and local life.
Revista Apolonia Supermercados
2005–2012
Writer & TranslatorContent creation and translation for this regional supermarket chain's customer magazine.
Trends Magazine
2002–Present
TranslatorTranslation services for this lifestyle and design publication.
Roof Magazine
2016
TranslatorTranslation services for this architecture and design publication.
Diamond
2015–2016
TranslatorTranslation services for this luxury culture and lifestyle publication.
Education
University of Birmingham
Bachelor's Degree, Special Honours in French (with Portuguese)
1990-1994
Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès
Lettres Modernes
1992-1993Questions
Frequently Asked
Machine Translation Post-Editing (MTPE) is the process of refining AI-generated translations to professional quality. Tools like DeepL and ChatGPT produce output that's often 90% correct, but that remaining 10% is where awkward phrasing, missed nuances, and embarrassing errors hide. I take machine-translated content and transform it into text that reads as if written by a native speaker.
AI excels at pattern matching but struggles with context, nuance, and domain-specific precision. In legal contracts, 'shall' vs 'will' can change enforceability. In medical documentation, 'contraindicated' vs 'not recommended' has regulatory implications. In marketing copy, tone and cultural resonance make the difference between content that connects and content that falls flat. The accuracy gap in AI translation is precisely where professional editing adds value.
I work across diverse sectors including Marketing (brand content, campaigns, websites), Literature (novels, creative writing), Legal (contracts, compliance documents), Healthcare (patient information, medical content), Technology (documentation, software localisation), and Finance (reports, communications). Whether it's creative flair or technical precision you need, I deliver content that sounds natural and professional.
I work with English, Portuguese, German, and French. As a native speaker of both English and German, with over 30 years of fluency in Portuguese and French, I offer bidirectional translation between English and Portuguese, and between English and German, plus French to English only. I catch errors that AI makes consistently: false cognates, register shifts, cultural assumptions, and terminology that looks correct but isn't.
Yes. While AI translation editing is my primary specialisation, I also provide full human translation services for content that demands it , literary works, creative marketing, and texts where the human touch matters from the start. I also offer copywriting and journalism services for original English and German content.
AI translation editing is faster than full translation , typically 2-3x faster for standard business content. A 3,000-word document usually takes 1-2 working days. Complex legal or technical content may require additional time for terminology verification. However, the value proposition is quality , content that meets professional standards and sounds naturally written.
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Let's Talk Precision
Got a translation that needs fixing? A document that reads like a machine wrote it? Let's sort it out.
"O barato sai caro": Portuguese idiom that best translates to "Buy cheap, buy twice."