Almost half the size of South America, the region’s most populous nation, and the only Portuguese-speaking country in Latin America, Brazil also stands apart for a unique institution: its official sworn translation system, in place for more than 250 years. Eighty years ago, Brazil enacted a detailed decree-law regulating sworn translation. In a country often battling corruption scandals, it is remarkable that the tradução juramentada system has remained intact and internationally respected. The sworn translator – tradutor juramentado – is widely recognised as a position of public trust.
Entry into the profession has always been challenging, as candidates must pass rigorous written and oral public examinations. At the latest Rio de Janeiro exam, only around 5% succeeded. They must also provide extensive documentation attesting to their unimpeachable backgrounds before receiving a registration number from the profession’s regulatory body.
As public officials, sworn translators are both civilly and criminally liable for their work. There are no disclaimers or ‘best endeavours’ affidavits. Each certified translation bears Brazil’s coat of arms, reflecting the seriousness and public nature of the role.
This longstanding system, however, was suddenly jeopardised by a single legislative manoeuvre. In a sweeping bill intended to modernise the 80-year-old regulation, a lawmaker inserted a clause allowing the government to waive the public examination and register translators solely on the basis of language-proficiency certificates, regardless of translation experience, legal expertise, or recent qualifications. A certificate issued decades ago would have sufficed under the new law.
In response, eleven sworn translator associations united first as the Juramentados Unidos (United Sworn Translators), then formed a national federation (FENATIP). Together, they challenged the new law in multiple courts. The case now sits with Brazil’s Supreme Court, where the risk is that such a ‘minor’ issue may be overshadowed by high-profile political cases.
It was at this fragile moment that FIT Latam stepped in. In August 2025, it issued a formal letter to the Chief Justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court affirming that proficiency exams cannot assess the skills required for official translations. It also warned that weakening the public trust ‘poses a serious threat to the country’s sovereignty’.
At the FIT Statutory Congress in September, FIT reinforced this stance through Resolution XXIII condemning deregulation efforts that erode safeguards such as accountability, traceability, and the integrity of official translation systems. It emphasised that reforms promising cost-efficiency and flexibility can undermine legal certainty, due process, and the reliability of national and international legal frameworks, especially in judicial, civil registry, contractual, migration, and procurement contexts.
FIT Latam’s and FIT’s unified support – through letters, resolutions, and international dialogue – made clear that Brazil is not alone in this fight! For this, we express our profound gratitude.
Monica Hruby, President, ATP-Rio & FENATIP