Iowa Accountancy Examining Board: 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.

Download the sample PDF

More sample translations

Worth knowing about Iowa Board

Iowa Board requirements in detail

Rule, test administrator and agency

Iowa's accountancy rules moved to Chapter 481-1023 of the Iowa Administrative Code in 2026; rule 1023.3(4) is one sentence requiring foreign graduates to be evaluated by a service the Board specifies (Iowa Administrative Code 481, Chapter 1023: certification of CPAs).

The Board's test administrator, NASBA's CPA Examination Services, names NIES and FACS on its Iowa page (NASBA CPA Examination Services: Iowa requirements), and the Board handles the CPA certificate application (NASBA CPA Examination Services: Iowa requirements), filed online through My Iowa PLB (Iowa accountancy licensing).

With NIES, the translation must be verbatim, in the same format as the original, typed, signed and dated, with the translator's contact details, by an ATA member, your university or the ministry (NIES). FACS's own translation rule is not covered here; ask FACS before ordering if you use it.

Avoiding an incomplete file

CPA Examination Services treats an application as incomplete without the international transcript copy that goes with each evaluation (NASBA CPA Examination Services: Iowa requirements).

NIES must receive everything within 90 days of the date you apply to it (NIES), so order the translation before you open the NIES application.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts or mark sheets
• Degree certificates and diplomas
• Records of accounting and business 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 Iowa 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: Iowa 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 Iowa 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 Iowa 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