California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Sample translation: a Congolese secondary school transcript

This is what an order looks like when it is delivered, with a fictitious student. The PDF starts with the signed certification page, and the translation follows the original line for line: every abbreviation is explained, stamps, seals and signatures are noted in brackets, and the grid stays the same, so an admissions officer or a credential evaluator can match it without guessing.

Swipe to see the second page →

What to notice

• Two school years in the same grid as the original: every subject, grading period, exam and total, so each grade can be read against its maximum.
• The French rating abbreviations are translated (TB becomes VG, Very good), and every abbreviation is explained in a translator's note at the foot of the same page, including one the original never defines.
• Dates are written the US way (the original's 02/07/2015 is February 7, 2015).
• The photo, seals and signatures are noted in brackets where they appear.

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Worth knowing about BPELSG

BPELSG requirements in detail

California reads the transcript, not an evaluation

Most state engineering boards send foreign graduates to NCEES Credentials Evaluations.

BPELSG does the opposite: if you want education credit, it wants the original transcripts and a notarized English translation, and it does not accept degree evaluations in their place (Applicant frequently asked questions).

That makes the translation the document the Board actually reads, course by course.

So the translation has to carry every course title, hour and grade exactly as printed, with stamps and the grading scale. We do not convert grades or call a degree its US equivalent; the Board decides how much education credit to give.

Mailing the originals without losing them

Electronic transcripts must come from the university to BPELSG.Transcripts@dca.ca.gov, and paper transcripts are mailed to the Board; unsealed transcripts are refused, except foreign transcripts not in English, which you may send yourself with the translation (Professional Engineer application instructions).

Staff upload them to your application and mail them back (Applicant frequently asked questions).

The Board does not email a receipt for transcripts (Applicant frequently asked questions), so use a tracked envelope both ways. Ask your university for the transcript at least two weeks before you file (Professional Engineer application instructions).

When you can apply

You file in BPELSG Connect only after you meet the qualifying experience; the Board will not review eligibility before an application (Applicant frequently asked questions).

Civil applicants then request the state Seismic Principles and Engineering Surveying exams for a later quarter (Professional Engineer application instructions).

Comity applicants can send an NCEES Record that already holds their transcripts (Professional Engineer application instructions).

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts or mark sheets, for every engineering degree you claim
• Graduate transcripts for a master's or doctorate in engineering
• Degree certificates, when the transcript does not show the degree conferred
• Name-change documents if your transcript is in a different name

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 with no word cap, 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 BPELSG

• Mail the original foreign transcripts and the notarized English translation to the Board (Professional Engineer application instructions), with a prepaid, tracked return envelope (Applicant frequently asked questions).

• eVerbary delivers the notarized translation as a signed PDF and, if you choose the hard copy at checkout, mails it to you in a sealed, signed envelope ($19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US) so you can send it with your originals.

  Write in the order notes that it is for the California PE application.

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