District of Columbia Board of Accountancy: 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.

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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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More sample translations

Worth knowing about DC Board

DC Board requirements in detail

What NIES reads and what it cannot replace

The Board's handout lists three steps for international candidates: an NIES evaluation of the transcripts, a US federal income tax course of at least three semester hours, and the evaluation forwarded to the Board (DC Board of Accountancy handout, 2023).

NASBA's DC page adds that tax courses about another country's tax count only as an accounting elective (NASBA CPA Examination Services: District of Columbia requirements).

However well your foreign tax course is translated, it will not meet the US tax requirement.

NIES reads the translated course titles and credits to place each course. Its rule asks for a verbatim translation in the original format, typed, signed and dated, with the translator's contact details (NIES).

Transferred credits, including those from an international school, are acceptable (NASBA CPA Examination Services: District of Columbia requirements).

Timing in 2026

The Board's page announced a NASBA licensing system transition: the last day to apply in the old system was July 11, 2026, and the new system opened August 3, 2026 (DC Board of Accountancy).

NIES wants all materials within 90 days of the date you apply to it (NIES), so have the translation ready first.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts or mark sheets
• Degree certificates and diplomas
• Records of tax and accounting courses
• Certificates from professional accounting bodies, if NIES 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 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 DC Board

• The translation goes to NIES with your records, addressed to NASBA International Evaluation Services in Nashville (NIES); NIES sends the evaluation to CPA Examination Services (NASBA CPA Examination Services: District of Columbia requirements).

• eVerbary can mail the translation to NIES in a sealed, signed envelope: choose the hard copy at checkout with NIES's address ($19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US) and write in the order notes that it is for the DC CPA evaluation.

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 DC Board, 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