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[FEATURE] Add Brazilian Portuguese (pt-BR) language support to SurfSense #710

@eduardogc

Description

@eduardogc

Feature Description

Add Brazilian Portuguese (pt-BR) language support to SurfSense. This would include a complete translation of all UI strings, making the platform accessible to the Portuguese-speaking community, particularly in Brazil.

Target Deployment

  • SurfSense Cloud (hosted version)
  • Self-hosted version
  • Both

Problem Statement

Currently, SurfSense only supports English and Chinese languages. Brazil has a large and growing developer/tech community that would greatly benefit from having the platform available in their native language. Many users feel more comfortable and productive when using tools in their own language.

Proposed Solution

Create a new translation file pt-BR.json in the surfsense_web/messages/ directory, following the same structure as the existing en.json file. Update the i18n configuration to include Brazilian Portuguese as an available language option.

Alternative Solutions

  • Machine translation only (lower quality, not recommended)
  • Portuguese from Portugal (pt-PT) instead (different vocabulary and expressions)

Benefits

  • Expands SurfSense accessibility to ~215 million Portuguese speakers worldwide
  • Increases adoption in Brazil, one of the largest tech markets in Latin America
  • Demonstrates SurfSense's commitment to internationalization
  • Opens the door for more community-driven translations

Use Case Examples

  1. A Brazilian developer self-hosting SurfSense for their team can now onboard colleagues who are not fluent in English
  2. Students and researchers in Brazil can use SurfSense more effectively for their studies and projects
  3. Companies in Brazil can deploy SurfSense organization-wide without language barriers

Additional Context

I am willing to contribute this translation myself via a Pull Request. The translation will be done manually to ensure quality and natural phrasing in Brazilian Portuguese.

Implementation Considerations

  • This may require frontend changes
  • This may require backend changes
  • This may require database changes
  • This may affect existing features

Checklist

  • I have searched existing issues/feature requests to ensure this is not a duplicate
  • I have provided a clear description of the feature
  • I have added appropriate labels (enhancement, deployment type)

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