Dictionaries can be helpful when you’re looking for a particular vocabulary word to translate, but another very helpful resource is a bilingual glossary. This means you can find simple translations as well as words unique to each language with a translation and explanation. For example, we don’t have a carteira do trabalho in the US; it requires an explanation that it’s used by workers in Brazil to keep track of employment, and the exact term headhunter doesn’t exist in Portuguese, so there’s an explanation in Portuguese for it.

There are several very helpful glossaries available online for free, so take a look!

Food

Vegetables

Fruit

Food & Cooking

Travel

Travel

Business

Agriculture

Human Resources

Finances, Accounting & Legal

Construction (Click on Glossário, and then on Inglês-Português)

All Topics

Finally, one of the best sites for English-Portuguese glossaries is Proz, used by professional translators. It has dozens of English-Portuguese glossaries, including topics ranging from slang to real estate to IT. Access the full glossary directory here.