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Alabama State Department of Education, Educator Certification: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: Alabama Educator Certification asks for a credential evaluation, and WES, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: NACES member, sent sealed or by agency email
- $24.95 per page
- Usually 24 h for 1–3 pages
- Signed certificate of accuracy, PDF
- See the price before you pay
How we know · policy checked on October 21, 2026
Alabama Educator Certification does not read foreign records itself: teachers with a degree from outside the US need an evaluation from a NACES member, sent to the Department by the agency, and the evaluation must translate the coursework course by course and credit hour by credit hour.
NACES members such as WES and ECE accept certified translations of your transcripts and diploma from professional services such as eVerbary, so you order the translation first and send it to the agency.
We translate the records; the evaluation, its five required statements and the GPA come from the agency.
Alabama Educator Certification at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Alabama accepts evaluations from members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (Foreign Credentials general information), and WES, a NACES member, accepts a translation from a professional translation service (WES translation rules); ECE accepts any complete word-for-word translation (ECE).
A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets both. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the NACES evaluation
- Who may translate
- Set by the agency (WES: professional)
- Credential evaluation
- NACES member, sent sealed or by agency email
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Grades
- As recordedNever converted to a US GPA
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Alabama Educator Certification's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Alabama Educator Certification
Any NACES member
Alabama approves agencies by NACES membership.
Five required statements
Courses, accreditation, degree, program, GPA.
Sealed or agency email
The evaluation never comes from you.
Alabama Educator Certification requirements in detail
Translation
No document translation rule of its own; the evaluation must include an accurate course-by-course and credit hour-by-credit hour translation of your coursework (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026), which the agency writes from your records.
Who may translate
Evaluation
From a foreign credential evaluation agency that is a NACES member; the Department does not interpret foreign credentials itself (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
What it must state
Regional accreditation equivalence of the school, bachelor's or higher equivalence, whether the program equals a US educator preparation program and in which teaching field, and the overall GPA on a 4.0 scale (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
How it arrives
Mailed in the agency's sealed envelope to the Educator Certification Section, or emailed by the agency to edcertexternalforms@alsde.edu, not by the applicant (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
Application
Online in ACE with an AIM account, $38 non-refundable fee, background clearance and Praxis tests prescribed after eligibility review (Foreign Credentials: how to apply, general information).
What the agency needs from you, and what Alabama needs from it
Alabama's general information sheet, dated January 2026, lists five things the evaluation must contain, from a course-by-course and credit hour-by-credit hour translation of your coursework to the GPA used to grant the degree (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
The agency can only write that if it can read every transcript line, so the translation it receives must be complete: course names, hours, grades and the grading scale.
We translate grades and credit figures exactly as printed and never convert them; the agency does the conversion to the 4.0 scale that Alabama asks for. We keep the original course titles next to the English ones so the evaluator can match them to the transcript.
What each agency asks for the translation
WES asks for an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator and does not accept one made by the applicant (WES).
ECE accepts a complete, literal translation from anyone, including you, or translates for its report under an $85 waiver (ECE).
Other NACES members set their own rules, and some accept only ATA-certified translators; check the agency's page before you order.
Which Alabama approach applies
The Foreign Credentials Approach is for people who completed an educator preparation program abroad with a degree equivalent to at least a US bachelor's (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
If the evaluation says the degree is not equivalent, Alabama requires a bachelor's or higher from a regionally accredited US institution first.
Teachers who also hold a valid certificate from another state use the Certificate Reciprocity Approach, but still submit the evaluation with the application.
Need a certified translation for Alabama Educator Certification?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages. See the price before you pay.
Documents applicants usually translate
- University transcripts and mark sheets with the grading scale
- Degree certificate or diploma
- Teacher preparation or practicum records, where the agency asks for them
- Foreign teaching license or certificate, if you hold one
- Name-change records if your name differs between documents
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 Educator Certification
The translations go to the NACES agency with your records, following its instructions.
The agency then mails the evaluation in a sealed envelope to the Educator Certification Section, PO Box 302101, Montgomery, or emails it to the Department itself (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service or a licensing agency: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, we cannot send documents on behalf of the school or authority that issued them, and we do not file the license application.
For Alabama that means we translate your records; the course-by-course evaluation with its five statements comes from the NACES agency you choose, and the eligibility decision is the Department's.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- 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
Which evaluation agencies does Alabama accept for teachers?
Members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026). The current list is on the NACES site.
Does Alabama require a certified translation of my transcripts?
Alabama asks for the evaluation, which must translate your coursework course by course (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026). The agency sets the translation rule for your documents; WES wants a professional translator (WES: translation requirements).
Can I send the evaluation to Alabama myself?
No. It must be in the agency's sealed envelope or emailed directly by the agency (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
When do I take the Praxis tests?
After Alabama reviews your application and issues a letter of eligibility; testing earlier is at your own risk (Foreign Credentials Approach: general information, 1/2026).
Is my GPA converted in the translation?
No. We translate grades as they appear; the evaluation agency calculates the GPA on a 4.0 scale that Alabama asks for.
Sources
Alabama State Department of Education, Educator Certification's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for Alabama Educator Certification?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.