B767-300 FLT CREW HAS ALTDEV DURING APCH TO SBGL.

Narrative

I WAS FLYING INBOUND TO GIG FROM MIA AND HAD BEEN VECTORED OFF COURSE AND CLRED TO DSND TO 14000 FT. THE CTLR THEN CALLED AND SAID CLRED TO DSND VIA THE NOAL ARR AND CLRED THE ILS RWY 28 APCH; CALL WHEN ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC. SINCE OUR PRESENT POS ALLOWED US TO DSND TO 13000 FT; I CONTINUED THE DSCNT TO THAT ALT. AT ABOUT 13500 FT THERE WAS DISCUSSION AMONG THE PLTS THAT WE HAD NOT BEEN CLRED 'VIA' THE ARR. I CLBED BACK UP TO 14000 FT AND SUBSEQUENTLY WAS GIVEN DIFFERENT ALTS AND VECTORS OTHER THAN WHAT WAS INDICATED ON THE NOAL ARR. THE NEAREST ACFT TO US WAS ABOUT 5 MI AWAY AND 5000 FT BELOW US SO THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE CONCERN AS TO THE ALTDEV. THIS IS A COMMON PROB WITH BRAZILIAN CTLRS. THEY GET INVOLVED WITH OTHER ACFT AND SPEAK IN PORTUGUESE AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO CONFIRM WHETHER WE ARE CLRED 'VIA' AN ARR OR NOT. IN ADDITION; THE CTLR WAS GIVING US DSCNT IN THOUSANDS OF FT (14000 FT; 12000 FT; 9000 FT) AND ALTIMETER SETTINGS BUT THE ATIS SAID THE TRANSITION LEVEL WAS 055. THE APCH PLATES SAY THAT THE TRANSITION LEVEL IS SET BY ATC BUT THEN THE ATIS SAYS THAT IS 055 OR 5500 FT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 701604: TRANSITION ALT IS 5500 FT. CAPT UNDERSTOOD CLRED TO DSND VIA THE ARR. WE DSNDED TO APPROX 13500 FT AS FO AND RELIEF PLT QUESTIONED ALT CLRNC. WE CLBED BACK TO 14000 FT AND QUERIED CTLR WHO THEN CLRED US TO 12000 FT.