Kentucky State 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 Kentucky Board

Kentucky Board requirements in detail

Kentucky reviews the file itself

Kentucky processes its own exam applications rather than routing them through CPA Examination Services: the notarized application and original transcripts go to the Board (Kentucky Board: initial exam application and instructions).

For education abroad, it wants the transcript certified by NASBA or a NACES member (Kentucky Board: CPA exam requirements). The current NACES list includes WES, ECE, Josef Silny & Associates and IERF (NACES).

Translation rules follow the agency. NIES: verbatim, same format, typed, signed and dated, by an ATA member, your university or the ministry (NIES). WES: a professional translator, never the applicant (WES).

Josef Silny asks for ATA-certified translators in the US; if you use it, see the ATA section below.

Exam and license differ on the evaluation

For the exam, the pages ask for the NASBA or NACES certification (Kentucky Board: CPA exam requirements).

For the license, the evaluation must be an original and no more than two years old when the Board receives it (Kentucky Board: initial license requirements).

If you sat for the exam years ago, plan on a new or updated evaluation, and keep the translation, which does not expire.

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 the agency 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 Kentucky Board

• The translation goes to the agency you choose, under its instructions; for NIES, mail goes to NASBA International Evaluation Services in Nashville (NIES). The original evaluation then goes to the Board (Kentucky Board: initial license requirements).

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