I often speak to clients who are in search of a language service provider to translate personal documents, such as birth, marriage or death certificates, diplomas, letters, or college transcripts. Below are answers to the 3 most popular questions asked about college transcript translation services.

1. The translation of transcripts from a foreign language into English does not convert grades to the US system.

A lot of times clients call and ask us to have their transcripts translated into English and also converted to the American GPA system. The translation part we have down. Our linguists translate all the text in personal documents into English (or from English into other languages). Grade conversion/evaluation is typically not part of a translation project, as it involves a different set of criteria that can vary depending on country of origin. This eBook goes into great detail about the variables that admissions officials examine during such processes.

2. Any changes to the final, target document must be confirmed by a certified translator.

It is important for clients to provide the project manager with details on exact spellings and any other specifics before the project begins so these details can be approved by the translator or editor. An example of this would be a section of the document that appears illegible. Sometimes the client knows exactly what it says even though the quality is bad because they remember based on their experience. This is a suggestion that should be passed on to the translator beforehand, and the additional information will assist him/her with the translation.

3. We cannot provide certifications for college transcript translations unless we performed the translation, the edit or both.

Many times when inquiring about personal document translation services, clients mention that they already have the document translation, but the college or university admissions office is requiring that it be certified. They ask if we can provide certification of this translation, however, based on the requisites of our certification process, the translation or edit of the translation, or both, must be performed by one of our LTI certified linguists. Since the translation that the client provides is usually done by a non-LTI linguist, they are not qualified by us and therefore do not meet the requirements of our document certification process. The take away from this is: always get a certification with your translation if it’s offered. It’s usually a small cost but could save you a lot of hassle down the line.