Hawaii Board of Public 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 Hawaii Board

Hawaii Board requirements in detail

Why course levels matter in Hawaii

Hawaii counts only upper-division or graduate accounting: 18 semester hours for the exam (Hawaii Board: CPA requirements, form CPA-01).

The license instructions warn that the evaluation must indicate which courses are upper division or graduate level (Hawaii Board: instructions and application for CPA license).

NIES decides the level from your records, so the translation has to carry course codes, year of study and level exactly as printed.

NIES's rule fits that: a verbatim translation in the same format as the original, with no interpretation, typed, signed and dated, with the translator's contact details (NIES). We translate the year and level markings as they appear and do not convert grades.

Two routes to sit for the exam

Graduates of foreign schools may sit for the exam with an accounting degree and either a letter of acceptance into an accredited US school's advanced degree program or an educational equivalency report from an evaluator the Board accepts (Hawaii Board: educational requirements for the CPA exam).

For the license, the instructions name NIES (Hawaii Board: instructions and application for CPA license), so most candidates order the NIES report once and use it for both.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts or mark sheets with course codes and years
• Degree certificates and diplomas
• Course descriptions showing level, if NIES asks for them
• Letters of acceptance or admission records, if not in English

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 Hawaii Board

• The translation goes to NIES with your records, under NIES instructions (NIES); NIES sends the evaluation to CPA Examination Services for the exam (NASBA CPA Examination Services: Hawaii requirements); for the license, the evaluation goes to the Board under its license instructions (Hawaii Board: instructions and application for CPA license).

• 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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