“Certified Translator” is the most widely used term for “Public Translator and Commercial Interpreter,” a job under appointment by the country’s Commercial Registries. These translators have to pass a competitive examination, and their translations are referred to as “certified translations,” being valid before public bodies, courts, Registries of Deeds and Documents, and similar institutions throughout the national territory.

In terms of content translated, there is no difference. The translation will have the same meaning and quality. The difference is that certified translations can only be made by Certified Translators, and the documents must be printed on the translator’s letterhead. This type of translation is officially recognized by government agencies. A translation with affidavit, on the other hand, is made by a professional translator who does not need to be a Certified Translator. The translator will attest to the quality and truthfulness of the translation, issue a statement and sign it. Several countries accept this type of translation. Finally, non-certified translations are not legally/officially valid, and are used for transferring a text from one language to another for knowledge/understanding purposes.

It is important to always check the type of translation required in the place where the document will be presented.

This is the most widely used unit to quantify translation services in Brazil. At Just Traduções, we use the “milesimal” standard, where one lauda is equivalent to 1,000 characters, not counting spaces. The prices for certified translations are suggested by the Commercial Registry of each state, and the standard counting unit is the lauda.

This will depend on the purpose of your document. If your document needs to be legally valid in the country of destination, the translation will probably need to be certified. In other situations, a non-certified translation will meet your needs.

According to Decree No. 13.609, certified translations are valid throughout Brazil. Abroad, each country has its own laws and regulations on acceptance of translations and, although certified translations are generally accepted, the consulate of the country that will receive your document must be contacted – http://www.consulados.com.br/.

Yes. However, the certified translator will mention that the translation was made from a copy. It is important to remember that some bodies do not accept translations made from copies, even if the translator mentions it. In this case, check in advance whether this will be a problem for the agency to which your document and translation will be sent.

To be effective in another country, public documents issued in a country must undergo specific procedures that are generally known as “document legalization.” This procedure mainly involves a sequence of two steps:

1) “legalization,” which is usually carried out at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country where the document was issued; and

2) “consularization,” which is carried out at the Consulate of the country to which the document is intended.

Document legalization is the recognition of authenticity by the proper authorities of the place of issue. Legalization of a foreign document must be carried out in the country of origin of the document. Therefore, in Brazil, only national documents are legalized. There are mainly two ways of legalizing a foreign document. The first one is at a Brazilian consulate abroad. The second is through the issue of the so-called “The Hague Appostille.”

In turn, a document consularization is carried out by consulates or embassies of foreign countries, with the aim of attesting to the origin and authenticity of documents issued in the national territory to be used in a foreign country. This process is necessary because each country has its own rules and requirements regarding legal documents. The consularization, therefore, ensures that such documents will meet the requirements of the country of destination. The consularization process confirms whether a signature on a document is genuine, attesting to the identity of the person who signed it and validating the seal or stamp of the issuing body. Depending on the purpose of the document, consularization may be required for the document to be accepted in Brazil. Contact the body at which you intend to present the document to find out whether or not this procedure is necessary. If so, the document must be consularized before being sent for translation.

To find out whether you need to legalize or apostille your document, first identify the country where the document was issued and the country to which the document is intended.

If the countries of origin and destination of the document are on the list of countries that are a party to the Apostille Convention, the document must be apostilled.

If the country of origin or destination of the document is NOT on the list of countries of the Apostille Convention, the document must be legalized.

Check the member countries of the Apostille Convention at https://www.cnj.jus.br/poder-judiciario/relacoes-internacionais/apostila-da-haia/paises-signatarios/

The Apostille is a certificate of authenticity issued by countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention. It is attached to a public document to confirm the origin of the document (signature, title of a public officer, seal or stamp of an institution). Apostilled public documents are presented in countries that are signatories to the Hague Convention, since the Apostille is only valid between signatory countries.
Only public documents, or those of a private nature that have been previously notarized by a notary or competent public authority and which have public faith, can be apostilled. Some examples of documents are birth certificates, diplomas and powers of attorney.
In Brazil, the National Council of Justice (CNJ) is the body responsible for the Hague Apostille. The procedure can be carried out in authorized notary offices, and third-party authorization is not required.

To find out whether your document needs to be apostilled, first identify the country where the document was issued and the country to which the document is intended.

If the countries of origin and destination of the document are on the list of countries that are a party to the Apostille Convention, then the document must be apostilled.

Check the member countries of the Apostille Convention at https://www.cnj.jus.br/poder-judiciario/relacoes-internacionais/apostila-da-haia/paises-signatarios/

Source: https://www.cnj.jus.br/

JUCESP – www.jucesp.sp.gov.br/ – is the Commercial Registry of the State of São Paulo. It regulates Public Translators and Commercial Interpreters who have passed the competitive examinations in the State of São Paulo. Each state has its own Commercial Registry, which is responsible for regulating the Certified Translators who have passed the competitive examinations in the respective state. SINTRA – www.sintra.org.br/ – is the National Union of Translators. It regulates translation activities in Brazil.