Portuguese · Spanish · Colonial Records · Tax, Audit & Legal Support
Historical document translation, transcription, and financial interpretation for researchers, genealogists, and anyone needing a Portuguese or Spanish document translated.
Standard rate for paleographic transcription: $0.20 per word.
Charlotte, NC · Remote Worldwide · Est. 2026
Services
Line-by-line transcription of handwritten colonial documents, preserving original spelling, abbreviations, and marginal notation alongside a clean reading edition.
Plain English translation and financial summary of Portuguese or Spanish documents — for individuals, businesses, and legal professionals.
Full English translation from archaic or early modern Portuguese and Spanish, with contextual footnotes explaining administrative language, titles, and conventions.
EA-backed payroll tax resolution — addressing payroll tax debts, penalties, and IRS compliance issues for small businesses and employers.
Interpretation of colonial ledgers, inventories, and treasury records — including obsolete currencies (réis, cruzados, patacas) and accounting formats of the period.
EA-backed tax and audit support for attorneys handling cross-border financial records and tax-related case work.
Tracing family histories through tax rolls, estate inventories, merchant ledgers, and administrative lists where financial records intersect with genealogical questions.
Tax preparation and compliance for H-1B holders and ITIN filers with foreign financial obligations in Portuguese or Spanish-speaking jurisdictions.
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.
Document translation active now. EA services expected 2026–2027.
Historical Research
Tax, Audit & Attorney Support
For translation, transcription, genealogical research, financial interpretation, data entry, and archive consultation.
For document translation & financial summary, payroll resolution, H-1B & ITIN tax work, and audit support for legal professionals.
Who 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Casas dos Contos is an American research practice specializing in Portuguese and Spanish historical documents — with a particular focus on colonial financial and administrative records from the 16th through 19th centuries.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 legal clients worldwide.
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.
About the Owner
Casas dos Contos is a one-person practice run by an accountant with hands-on experience across both US tax documentation and colonial Portuguese financial records. That combination — one foot in modern accounting, one in historical archive work — is what the practice is built on.
On the accounting side, the work spans US tax documents across a range of contexts — the kind of close reading of financial records that carries directly into archival interpretation. On the historical side, that same attention applies to colonial Portuguese treasury documents, ledgers, and administrative correspondence, with particular focus on the paleography, currency systems, and accounting conventions of the period.
Language work is in Portuguese and Spanish. The practice is based in Charlotte, NC and works with clients remotely worldwide.
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.
Practice Roadmap
Translation, transcription, and financial interpretation of colonial and modern documents.
Plain English translation and financial summary of Portuguese or Spanish documents for legal professionals and individuals.
EA-backed payroll tax resolution — addressing payroll tax debts, penalties, and IRS compliance issues for small businesses and employers.
Enrolled Agent licensure — tax preparation and compliance support for H-1B visa holders and ITIN filers, with a focus on Portuguese and Spanish-speaking immigrant clients.
EA-backed tax and audit support for attorneys — reviewing foreign financial records, supporting tax-related case work, and advising on cross-border tax documentation.