Any foreign resident of Florianópolis who has tried to include documents from their home country in a Brazilian legal process will know how frustrating it can be to have their foreign documents translated by an official translator. As we’ve mentioned before, all foreign documents must be translated by an official translator before they become valid in Brazil. Previously, residents of Florianópolis had to endure long waits before their documents were translated. In the case of real estate deals—which require marriage certificates—a sale could fall apart before the translation was completed.
Adriana Maciel, Official Translator
The good news is that there is now a new translator in town: Adriana Maciel, who works out of Lagoa de Conceição. Now anyone who needs a translation can obtain one—WITH NO LONG WAIT TIMES!
And for those of you who live outside of Floripa, Adriana can accept and return documents for translation through the regular mail if you don’t live in on the island.
I recently met with Adriana in her home near the center of Lagoa to talk about her training, her work, and her life. Originally from São Paulo, Adriana speaks perfect English. She studied both Portuguese and English at the University of São Paulo, where she earned separate BA degrees in each language. Adriana also studied at Bishop’s University in Canada, where she lived for a year. She has also studied and lived in Portland, Oregon.
I asked Adriana why there are so few people working as official translators in Florianópolis. The reason, she explained, is that the Junta Commercial—the governmental board that sanctions official translators—only chooses new translators once every twenty years or so. Adriana was chosen as one of only two new translators from a pool of nearly 200 candidates after a rigorous—and apparently nerve-wracking—examination. Her presence in Lagoa will be much appreciated both by foreigners and by Brazilians who need official translations.
More than just a translator, Adriana lives with one foot in the English-speaking world and travels regularly to South Florida to visit her sister, who lives there. She has called Florianópolis her home since 2007.
You can contact Adriana via e-mail at macieladri@ig.com.br or reach her by telephone at: (48) 3879-7472 or mobile at: (48) 9163-8336.
