Legal translations of documents

11/15/22 Who are the best people to use to translate documents for visa applications that the government here would recognise? Many thanks
-@ltoby955

The only people are Sworn Translators, who have passed a competitive examination and have been formally appointed to the post by the Junta Comercial of a Brazilian state.  Local ones can be found with a web search on "Tradutores Juramentados (Name of City)".

I've always been happy with Fidelity Translations (www.fidelity.com.br) who work online with clients anywhere and whose Sworn Translators provide electronic signatures that agencies can scan or validate online.

@abthree Thanks

@abthree What would they charge per document as a ball park figure?

11/15/22 @abthree What would they charge per document as a ball park figure?
-@ltoby955

Back in 2019, they charged me R$570 for three documents

• FBI Background Check and Apostille
• Illinois Driver's License, front and back
• Language Proficiency Certification

Three day turnaround, half upfront, half on receipt of translations.  They're very fast in correcting errors, if notified.  That's the most current information I have.  They provide estimates on request through their website.

Ok, thanks again. I'm lucky being a Portuguese resident as most of my documents license etc are in Portuguese, I possibly need a translation of my deed poll and birth cert, does the passport also have to be translated?

11/15/22  does the passport also have to be translated?
-@ltoby955

No.  Passports should never need to be translated or authenticated; passport copies sometimes need to be authenticated, but even that is rare.

@abthree Ok thanks

@ltoby955

With all due respect.

If you are a Porugee from the Northeast US, ( as I was )  you can skip Brazilian translators, there are good chances your local travel agent can handle this with a sworn and apostiled translation. 

And you can save some money at that.....

in Sampa, I use one by Vila Mariana. right off the subway stop by Ana Rosa, on blue and green lines.

All of them charge by word count, i\ recall about R$ 200 for a few scattered lines in a page.  It's a racket. 

@abthree

I was required to translate and apostille my PP for an apartment purchase.  At least that is what the real estate agent told me and i did it.

12/07/22 @abthree
I was required to translate and apostille my PP for an apartment purchase. At least that is what the real estate agent told me and i did it.
-@headshot

You shouldn't have been, but I know that's cold comfort when someone makes it a requirement for performing a service you need.

*ETA* There's no way in Brazil to get a US Passport apostilled.  Do you mean that you had to provide a copy authenticated in a cartório and have THAT translated?  Authenticated copies are sometimes required for certain actions, but a Sworn Translation of a passport is new to me.

@abthree

Trust me, I had that one on me. 

Clerks are so dumb, can't read a basic passport page.

They find every excuse to nail you on fees.   

It's a self fulfilling racket. Rubber stamp factory.

@abthree

.

I had it apostled in the United States and then translated in Brazil. I was so desperate to get the transaction done they could have sold me snake oil and I wouldn't have known. I'll defer to the rest of the forum for the truth. Thank you

12/07/22 @abthree
Trust me, I had that one on me.

Clerks are so dumb, can't read a basic passport page.

They find every excuse to nail you on fees. 

It's a self fulfilling racket. Rubber stamp factory.
-@sprealestatebroker

That's exactly what I figured, too.

12/07/22 @abthree
.
I had it apostled in the United States and then translated in Brazil. I was so desperate to get the transaction done they could have sold me snake oil and I wouldn't have known. I'll defer to the rest of the forum for the truth. Thank you
-@headshot

You didn't do anything wrong, you just did what you were told. I only want to make sure that I have the facts straight. The Department of State of the United States really affixed an apostille to a United States Passport?

This document:  https://www.usauthentication.com/images … ral_lg.jpg

I am glad you asked because it was Signed by the Secrretary of State of my state in the US.  It is not affixed to my PP, it is a document in itself -- much like a notarization .  I am unable to attach a screenshot here but I provided my PP to a company, they sent it off and I received a 2 page document (Apost) attached to a photocopy of my PP.  I hope this helps

12/08/22 I am glad you asked because it was Signed by the Secrretary of State of my state in the US. It is not affixed to my PP, it is a document in itself -- much like a notarization . I am unable to attach a screenshot here but I provided my PP to a company, they sent it off and I received a 2 page document (Apost) attached to a photocopy of my PP. I hope this helps
-@headshot

It does, thanks. 

It doesn't actually help YOU (I wish that it did), but it does prove to me that the demand made on you was illegitimate, and that the person making it to shake you down (whether a clerk at the cartório or the real estate agent) had no official reason to do what they did.

In your place, I would pay a lawyer of my own choice to review the documentation on the property, for independent assurance that it's clean and that your title is clear.  If you don't want to go to that expense, I'd recommend at least double checking with the municipal government to make sure that the property is registered to you in the IPTU (real estate tax) records, and that all your information is correct there.

I will most certainly take your advice to ensure the property is properly registered.  thank you very for the suggestion much -AB.

12/08/22 I will most certainly take your advice to ensure the property is properly registered. thank you very for the suggestion much -AB.
-@headshot

All the best to you!  In spite of the somewhat rocky start, I hope that your experience in property ownership in Brazil ends up being a good, tranquil, and profitable one.

@abthree Thanks for your recommendation of Fidelity Translations. I will be going through probate in Brasil and needed several documents translated. I had looked on line but the ones I found didn't even have a phone number on their website.

Fidelity did and I was surprised when they answered after just 2 rings and I got a real person, not a bot ! Super fast. In just 3 days they were all done, digital files sent to me and my attorney and they are sending my attorney hard copies as well. They have offices all over. HIGHLY RECOMMEND ! THANKS !

Hello everyone.

@ Cindylido, great that you got it all sorted out. Feel free to recommend the company in the Translators and interpreters in Brazil section of the business directory. It could help others as well.

Thank you in advance

Bhavna

06/30/23 @abthree Fidelity did and I was surprised when they answered after just 2 rings and I got a real person, not a bot ! Super fast. In just 3 days they were all done, digital files sent to me and my attorney and they are sending my attorney hard copies as well. They have offices all over. HIGHLY RECOMMEND ! THANKS !
-@cindylido

I'm glad that they worked out for you.  I've always had good experiences with them, too.  And they're very responsive if a correction is needed, so your attorney should have no problem if that happens.

@Bhavna Will do !

@cindylido For those wondering how much Fidelity charged : I had 4 documents each Apostilled. I thought that would

mean 8 to be translated but they said the Apostille is part of the document, so it was 4 total at $253.00 paid through a secure link. Everything went very smooth.

@BhavI I tried but it wouldn't just take 8 Offices in Brasil + Miami. I think your form needs to be updated so we can just put in a website address.Too many fields to fill out.

Just for info - here each page of a doc translated (not each page of the original) costs R$80.