Alabama Board of Nursing: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Alabama BON

Alabama BON requirements in detail

Which agency, and what each wants translated

Alabama leaves the choice of agency to you, among three (Graduates of foreign nursing schools: exam). The choice decides who may translate.

ERES says documents not issued in English generally need a certified English translation, and that you may submit one with your original-language documents (ERES).

Josef Silny asks for professional, certified English translations on its nursing application (JS&A nursing form), and its services page adds that translations made in the US must come from ATA-certified translators (JS&A).

TruMerit is the exception: its CES Professional Report requires nursing transcripts sent by the school and translated by the school, or by TruMerit for a fee (TruMerit).

Only the secondary school diploma may be translated by someone you choose. If you plan to use TruMerit, an outside translation of your nursing records will not be used.

The order of steps in Alabama

Exam applicants need the report before they apply: the board asks for the complete education report prior to applying for licensure by exam (Graduates of foreign nursing schools: exam).

In practice the order is: ask your school to send transcripts to the agency, order the translation, open the evaluation, then apply to the board and register for the NCLEX.

ERES lists the Alabama board among those that accept its nursing evaluations and asks for the transcript directly from the school (ERES nursing).

Endorsement applicants who already hold a US license still send a CES report; the board says prior licensure in another state does not exempt you (Graduates of foreign nursing schools: endorsement).

Documents applicants usually translate

• Nursing school transcripts and mark sheets, for the agency
• Nursing diploma or degree certificate
• Nursing license or registration from the country of education
• Secondary school diploma or leaving certificate
• Course descriptions or syllabus, if the agency asks for them

What an eVerbary translation includes

• A complete English translation of every page, stamps, seals and handwritten notes included, laid out like the original so each line can be matched.
• Grades, hours and credits exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA or equivalency.
• A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload or print.
• $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included; 24 hours for one to three pages as standard. Regular clients who need it can get delivery in as little as 30 minutes, on request.
• Notarization added at checkout ($34.90 per order) when the office asks for a notarized translation.

Submitting the translation to Alabama BON

• The translation goes to the evaluation agency, not to the board, following that agency's instructions; ERES, for example, takes certified translations together with the original-language documents (ERES: help center). The agency then sends its report to the Alabama Board of Nursing.

• Your application, English test results and the rest of the file go to the board as its exam or endorsement instructions describe (exam, endorsement).

If you need a translator certified by ATA

Some offices accept only a translator who is personally certified by the American Translators Association (ATA). eVerbary assigns one on request, for the languages ATA certifies into English:

To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for Alabama BON, what it is for, and that you need a translator individually certified by ATA, plus anything else the office asks for (notarization, delivery by email to the office).

We confirm the price and the translator before you pay. ATA does not certify other languages into English, so no translator anywhere holds ATA certification for them.

For those languages we provide a notarized certified translation instead, at $44.95 per page plus notarization ($34.90 per order); ask the office to confirm it accepts that, and write its answer in the quote notes.

How to order

1. Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
2. Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
3. Receive the PDF, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages, and submit it with the copy of the original wherever the office asks for it.

Frequently asked questions