Georgia Professional Standards Commission: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about GaPSC

GaPSC requirements in detail

Why a translation alone does not work in Georgia

GaPSC says plainly that translations alone, or provisional evaluations based on unofficial copies, will not be accepted; what it reads is a foreign credential report that already includes English translations and a detailed course-by-course evaluation (Foreign credential reports).

The translation is an input to that report, so it goes to the agency, not to GaPSC.

GaPSC also sets conditions for the agencies themselves.

To be approved, an agency must belong to NACES, base evaluations on original documents rather than photocopies where obtainable, include GPA equivalency, and translate in-house or use certified translators only (Foreign credential reports).

A certified translation from a professional service fits that last condition.

The six agencies and their translation rules

Educational Perspectives accepts translations from a reputable translation agency or a certified, professional translator, and also translates in-house (EP).

IEE, which has a custom application for GaPSC applicants, refuses translations by the client, a notary public or an uncertified translator, but accepts certified translators (IEE).

The Evaluation Company accepts outside translations only from ATA-certified translators (TEC), and Josef Silny wants ATA-certified translators for translations made in the US (JS&A).

If you choose one of them, see the ATA section below. GaPSC lists the six as equally acceptable, so the agency's translation rule is a fair reason to pick one.

Three-year degrees under Bologna

One of GaPSC's conditions for approved agencies is that a three-year bachelor's degree completed under the Bologna process counts as three years of US study, not as a four-year US bachelor's (Foreign credential reports).

If your degree took three years, the report may show it as short of a US bachelor's whatever the translation says. Translate the master's or any further study too, so the agency can consider it.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University diploma or degree certificate
• University transcripts and mark sheets, all years
• Statement of professional standing from the education authority abroad
• Teaching certificate from the other country
• Experience verification letters, if the employer abroad writes them in another language

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 GaPSC

• The translation goes to the approved agency with your official documents, under its instructions. The agency then emails the foreign credential report to mail@gapsc.com or delivers it through its own secure portal (Foreign credential reports).

• Do not upload the report yourself through MyPSC or Expresslane; GaPSC will not accept it that way (Foreign credential reports). The rest of the application goes through your MyPSC account (International educators).

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 GaPSC, 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