Does the Diploma in Portuguese Language teach European or Brazilian Portuguese?

Both. The Diploma in Portuguese Language treats them as the same language with regional varieties. The shared grammar core is taught in parallel, with dedicated seminars on the lexical, phonological and stylistic differences that working professionals need to recognise.

What level of Portuguese do I need to start the Diploma in Portuguese Language?

We expect roughly CEFR B1 as the standard entry point. Beginner-level applicants take a short placement test and may be offered a slower-paced route. Heritage speakers without prior certification confirm their level at interview.

Can I take the Diploma in Portuguese Language online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus syllabus with live tutor sessions, recorded grammar lectures and structured speaking practice in small groups. Distance learners follow the same outcomes with milestone-based deadlines.

Will the Diploma in Portuguese Language help me work in Brazil?

It builds the working Portuguese a UK firm operating in Brazil expects from a junior bilingual hire. Working in Brazil itself requires the appropriate visa and local recognition; the Diploma in Portuguese Language is a credible UK language credential that supports those applications.

Is the Diploma in Portuguese Language suitable for translators?

Yes — at junior level. The translation laboratory builds the working translation skills entry-level employers expect. For full professional translator status, the Chartered Institute of Linguists offers separate qualifications that complement the Diploma.

Diploma in Portuguese Language in London | LSJHML | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Portuguese Language at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a nine-to-twelve-month UK qualification that takes intermediate learners of Portuguese to a strong working level — the point at which a UK firm with Brazilian or Lusophone-African operations would consider you a serious bilingual asset. The Diploma covers both European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, with cultural and current-affairs reading across the Lusophone world.

The course is aligned with Instituto Camões standards and the Chartered Institute of Linguists' professional-use framework. By the end you will be reading Folha de São Paulo or Público without a dictionary, holding a working-pace meeting in Portuguese, and translating short news and business texts in both directions.

Key Features

Instituto Camões-aligned curriculum covering intermediate-to-upper-intermediate Portuguese.
European and Brazilian Portuguese taught in parallel with shared grammar core.
Translation laboratory covering news, business and short policy texts.
Lusophone current-affairs seminars — Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, East Timor.
Three study modes — on-campus in central London, fully online, or distance learning with tutor support.
Credit-transfer pathway into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Diploma in Portuguese Language is structured around the working practice of a professional user of Portuguese. You graduate able to hold a substantive conversation in Portuguese, translate a short text in either direction, and read the cultural cues that distinguish European and Brazilian conversational norms.

Intermediate-to-upper-intermediate grammar — subjunctive, verbal aspect, formal register.
European and Brazilian Portuguese — the differences that matter for working use.
Reading the Lusophone press — Folha de São Paulo, Público, O Globo, Expresso.
Translation theory and practice — register, equivalence, cultural transposition.
Business Portuguese — meeting protocol, formal correspondence, contract vocabulary.
Listening for working speed — broadcast news, podcasts, recorded business meetings.
Composition — essays, briefings, summaries in Portuguese to a working standard.
Lusophone culture and current affairs — politics, economics, the green transition in the Amazon.

Who This Diploma Is For

Intermediate Portuguese learners ready to step up to a recognised UK credential.
Heritage speakers wanting a structured UK qualification for the professional market.
Working professionals in trade, finance or NGO work who need a credential for a Lusophone-facing role.
Translators and interpreters adding Portuguese to an existing language portfolio.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Diploma in Portuguese Language move into junior translation, area-analyst and bilingual support roles across UK and international employers. Typical first or next roles include:

Portuguese Translator (junior, in-house or agency)
Lusophone Markets Specialist (consultancy, trade body)
Portuguese Teacher (with appropriate teaching qualification)
Brazil-EU Liaison Officer (firm with Brazil operations)
Bilingual Account Manager (UK firm with Lusophone customer base)
Portuguese-speaking Researcher (NGO, think tank)

The Diploma is the natural prerequisite for the Advanced Diploma, a Bachelor's degree top-up, or an MA in Translation or Lusophone Studies.

Entry Requirements

Completion of secondary school (A-Levels, BTEC, or international equivalent).
Demonstrable intermediate Portuguese (CEFR B1 equivalent) confirmed at interview, or beginner-level applicants by placement test.
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement.
Mature applicants (21+) may apply with two years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.