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California Commission on Teacher Credentialing: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: CTC asks for a credential evaluation, and WES, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: Course-by-course from the CTC approved list
- $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
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires a detailed, course-by-course evaluation from an agency on its approved list whenever foreign coursework is used toward a credential, and it says applicants must follow the evaluating agency's own procedures; it has no translation rule of its own.
WES, one of the approved agencies, accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary, as do IEE and ECE.
We translate your diploma, transcripts and teaching credential for the agency; the evaluation comes from the agency, and two approved agencies (TEC and Josef Silny) want ATA-certified translators, which we assign on request.
CTC at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
The CTC requires an evaluation from an agency on its approved list, which includes WES, IEE and ECE (approved agencies), and WES accepts a translation by a professional translator or certified translation agency (WES translation rules), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets the evaluation agency's rule. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the evaluation; no CTC rule
- Who may translate
- Set by the agency; WES: professional translator
- Credential evaluation
- Course-by-course from the CTC approved list
- 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 CTC's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about CTC
Course-by-course, always
Even if a US university already accepted the courses.
Approved list only
Nineteen agencies; NACES or AICE membership to join.
Your foreign credential too
Send a photocopy of it to the evaluating agency.
CTC requirements in detail
Translation
The CTC has no translation rule of its own; you follow the procedures of the agency that evaluates your transcripts (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635).
Who may translate
Evaluation
A detailed, course-by-course foreign transcript evaluation whenever foreign coursework meets any credential requirement, even if a US college already accepted it; a general report is enough only for the Emergency 30-Day Substitute Permit (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635).
Which agency
Only agencies on the Commission's list, among them WES, ECE, IEE, IERF, Josef Silny, The Evaluation Company, FCSA, SDR, Scholaro, ACEI and ERES (Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies).
Originals
Every agency will require original, official documentation when you request the evaluation (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635).
Foreign teaching credential
Send a photocopy of the credential or certificate earned abroad to the evaluating agency; a photocopy also verifies it for the CTC (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635, CL-871).
How to submit
Upload a scan of the original paper evaluation, front and back, or the original electronic file the agency sent you, with your CTC Online application (checklist).
What the evaluation must prove for a teaching credential
Teachers prepared outside the US can apply directly for a five-year preliminary Multiple Subject or Single Subject credential.
The evaluation has to show a bachelor's or higher degree from an institution equivalent to a regionally accredited US one, and a professional preparation program in elementary or secondary education that included student teaching; you must also hold or be eligible for a comparable credential abroad (CL-871, CL-870).
The checklist asks you to give the agency your out-of-country teaching credential when you order the evaluation (Multiple Subject checklist for educators prepared outside the US).
For the translation, that means the student teaching record, the diploma, the full transcript and the credential all matter. We translate every page and keep grades and hours exactly as recorded.
Approved agencies and their translation rules
The approved list is long and the agencies do not share one translation rule (Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies). WES wants an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator (WES).
IEE does not accept translations by the client or a notary public, but accepts certified translators (IEE). ECE accepts a literal translation by anyone, or translates for its report under an $85 waiver (ECE).
The Evaluation Company accepts outside translations only from ATA-certified translators (TEC), and Josef Silny asks that translations made in the US come from ATA-certified translators (JS&A).
If you choose either, see the ATA section below. For IERF, the CTC list says to request a detailed report for professional licensing, field Teaching, state CA (Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies).
Closed agencies
The list notes that IICE at Fresno State closed in 2014 and AERC closed on August 30, 2025; AERC reports completed before that date are still accepted (Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies).
If you are ordering a new evaluation, choose an agency that is open and on the current list.
Need a certified translation for CTC?
$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 diploma or degree certificate
- University transcripts and mark sheets, all years
- Teacher preparation and student teaching records
- Teaching credential or certificate earned in the other country
- Course descriptions, when the CTC asks for them for clear credential coursework
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 CTC
The translation goes to the evaluating agency with your original, official documents, under that agency's procedures (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635). WES, for example, takes uploads in your WES account (WES).
You then upload the agency's evaluation, scanned in full or as the original electronic file, with your application in CTC Online, directly or through your employer (Multiple Subject checklist for educators prepared outside the US, CL-871).
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:
$34.95 per page
Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian
$44.95 per page
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Danish and Persian
To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for CTC, 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.
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 the CTC that means we translate your records for the evaluating agency; the course-by-course evaluation and the Commission's credential decision are outside what we do.
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
Does the CTC accept a translation of my foreign transcripts?
The CTC reads the course-by-course evaluation from an approved agency, not your transcripts (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635). The agency needs your documents in English under its own rule.
Which evaluation agencies does the CTC accept?
Only those on its approved list, including WES, ECE, IEE, IERF, Josef Silny and The Evaluation Company (Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies).
I already have credit from a US university for my foreign courses. Do I still need an evaluation?
Yes. The CTC requires its own course-by-course evaluation even if a US college accepted the foreign coursework (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635).
Who may translate for WES?
A professional translator; WES does not accept translations by applicants (WES: translation requirements). A certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets that rule.
Does my foreign teaching credential need to go to the agency?
Yes. Send the evaluating agency a photocopy of it (Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635); if it is not in English, the agency's translation rule applies to it too.
Sources
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
- Foreign Transcript Evaluation, leaflet CL-635
- Commission approved foreign transcript evaluating agencies
- Multiple Subject credential for teachers prepared outside the US, CL-871
- Single Subject credential for teachers prepared outside the US, CL-870
- Multiple Subject checklist for educators prepared outside the US
- WES: translation requirements
- IEE: FAQ
- ECE: documentation requirements
- The Evaluation Company: avoid delays
- Josef Silny & Associates: services
Translating documents for CTC?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.