Diploma and Transcript Translation for US Universities

US universities and credential evaluators ask for a complete, literal translation of your diploma and your transcript, submitted alongside a copy of the original, with a signed statement of accuracy. They do not want your grades converted, your degree renamed, or your course titles matched to American equivalents. Certified translation at Eagle Translate is $24.95 for a page of up to 250 words and returns in 2 to 3 business days.

What an admissions office is actually asking for

Most admissions and credential requirements come down to four things. A legible copy of the original document in the issuing language. A complete English translation of every word on it. A statement signed by the translator confirming the translation is complete and accurate. And, in many cases, the two delivered together as one file so the reviewer can compare them.

What they are not asking for is interpretation. The reviewer wants to see your record as it was issued and decide for themselves what it means in a US context. That decision is theirs, and it is the reason a good academic translation reads literally.

Translation is not credential evaluation

This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in academic paperwork. A certified translation converts language. A credential evaluation converts systems, producing a report that states the US equivalent of your degree and often a converted GPA. They are separate services bought from different providers, and a school that asks for both will say so.

Evaluation agencies, including members of NACES such as WES and ECE, usually require the translation to be done by someone other than you and to arrive with the original. Some will accept a translation you supply, some insist on their own. Read the agency's instruction before you order anything, because the agency's own rules govern. Eagle Translate provides the certified translation, not the evaluation.

What a diploma translation must show

A diploma is short, which makes the omissions obvious. A complete translation carries the full name of the institution as printed, the degree title in its original form, the field of study, the name of the graduate exactly as written, the date of conferral, the date the diploma was issued when that differs, any honours or classification, the register or serial number, and the names and titles of every signatory.

Degree names are left as they are and explained rather than swapped for a US label. A Spanish Licenciatura is not a US bachelor's degree by definition, an Italian Laurea Magistrale is not automatically a master's, and a Dutch doctorandus title abbreviated to drs. is not a doctorate. Naming the US equivalent is the evaluator's job.

Seals, embossed stamps, holograms, ribbons and signatures are described in brackets at the point where they appear, for example [embossed seal of the University of Bologna] or [signature of the Rector].

What a transcript translation must show

A transcript is where the work is. A complete translation includes every course title, the credit value in the original unit such as ECTS or contact hours, the grade exactly as awarded, the term or academic year, the cumulative average as printed, the degree classification, the total credits, the date of issue, the registrar's name and title, and the reference number.

The grading key is the part most often lost. Many transcripts print the scale on the reverse or in small type at the foot of the page, and it is the only thing that lets a reviewer read a 7,5 from a Dutch cijferlijst or a 28/30 from an Italian record. If it is on your document, it belongs in the translation. If your transcript came with a diploma supplement, that is a separate document with its own pages and its own price.

What the record is called varies by country. Spanish records arrive as a Certificado de Notas or Expediente Académico. French ones as a Relevé de notes. German as a Zeugnis, an Abiturzeugnis or a Notenspiegel. Italian as a Certificato di Laurea con esami sostenuti or a Pagella. Portuguese as a Histórico Escolar. Dutch as a cijferlijst with the diplomasupplement. Turkish as a Transkript or a Lise Diploması. We handle every pair between English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Turkish, which are listed on the languages page.

What commonly goes wrong

Grades get converted. A translator who turns a Turkish 85 into a B has replaced the record with an opinion. The grade stays as awarded, and the scale is translated so the reviewer can read it.

Course titles get Americanized. Matemática Aplicada becomes Applied Mathematics, not Calculus II. Titles are translated, not mapped.

Only the diploma is sent. Schools almost always want both the diploma and the transcript. Sending one and waiting to be told about the other costs a week.

The reverse side is skipped. The grading key, the legal notice about the value of the qualification, and the registrar's second stamp are frequently on the back.

Page count is underestimated. A page here is up to 250 words of real content. A dense two sided transcript listing fifty courses with credits and grades can measure as three or four pages. The price is measured from your actual file and shown before you pay, so you always see the real number first.

Cost, timing and what you receive

Standard is $19.95 a page over 3 to 5 business days and carries no certificate, which makes it the wrong choice for an admissions file. Certified is $24.95 a page over 2 to 3 business days. Premium is $39.95 a page, is translated ahead of other work, and returns in 1 to 2 business days, which is the one to pick when a deadline is close. The comparison sits on the services page.

Certified and Premium orders arrive as one PDF with a Certificate of Translation Accuracy on the cover, naming the document, the language pair, the order reference, the ATA membership number, the date of certification and the translator who signed it, with a QR code an admissions office can scan to confirm the certificate against our records. That verification page is described in how to check if a certified translation is genuine.

Upload is PDF only and payment is by card. Orders run up to 50 pages, and a longer academic file can be arranged through contact. The four steps from upload to delivery are on how it works.

Prepare the file properly

Scan at 300 dpi or better, both sides of every sheet, and combine them into one PDF in the order the school will read them. Do not crop the seals out. Do not send a photograph taken at an angle. If your name is spelled differently on your passport than on your diploma, tell us before the translator begins so the transliteration stays consistent across your whole application. If a school ever returns a file, the guide on what to do when a translation is rejected will tell you what to check first.

Send your academic records

Upload the diploma and the transcript together, choose the pair, and see the measured price before paying at start an order.