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Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Certification: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: Missouri DESE asks for a credential evaluation, and WES, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: Analysis from one of six listed agencies
- $24.95 per page
- Usually 24 h for 1–3 pages
- Signed certificate of accuracy, PDF
- See the price before you pay
How we know · policy checked on October 21, 2026
Missouri DESE does not evaluate foreign credentials itself: it asks you to send all transcripts and certification information to one of six listed credentialing agencies, whose analysis must be in English with course titles, credit hours, letter grades, cumulative GPA and a US-equivalency statement.
WES and Educational Perspectives, both on the list, accept certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
The Evaluation Company, also listed, takes outside translations only from ATA-certified translators, whom we assign on request; the analysis itself comes from the agency.
Missouri DESE at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
Missouri DESE requires a transcript analysis from a listed agency, including WES and Educational Perspectives (recognized credentialing agencies); WES accepts a translation by a professional translator or certified translation agency (WES translation rules) and Educational Perspectives a reputable agency or certified translator (EP), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets the agency's rule. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the agency analysis, in English
- Who may translate
- Set by the agency; TEC: ATA-certified only
- Credential evaluation
- Analysis from one of six listed agencies
- Price
- $24.95 per pageUp to 250 words, certification included
- Delivery
- 24 hoursStandard for one to three pages
- Grades
- As recordedNever converted to a US GPA
Checked on October 21, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Policies change: confirm on Missouri DESE's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about Missouri DESE
Six listed agencies
Atlas, EP, Foreign Consultants, IFCS, TEC and WES.
Letter grades and GPA
The analysis must show both, plus credit hours.
Replaces the recommendation
The report stands in for the institutional recommendation.
Missouri DESE requirements in detail
Translation
DESE publishes no rule on who translates your documents; it requires the agency's analysis itself to be in English (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
Who may translate
Evaluation
A transcript analysis listing course titles, credit hours, letter grades, cumulative GPA and a statement of equivalency to a US degree (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials).
Which agency
Atlas Credential Evaluations, Educational Perspectives, Foreign Consultants, Institute of Foreign Credential Services, The Evaluation Company (SpanTran) or WES; DESE does not formally approve them but has verified they report what it needs (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials, become certified).
How the report arrives
The agency sends an official copy of its report to the Department (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials).
Application
Online Non-Missouri Graduate application; remaining checklist items mailed in one packet to Educator Certification, PO Box 480, Jefferson City; no fax or email (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
What the analysis must show
DESE is specific: the analysis must list each course title, the credit hours, the letter grade, your cumulative GPA, and a statement that the program equals a US degree (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
DESE then runs its own course evaluation against Missouri's requirements and posts the result in the Educator Certification System, and the agency report takes the place of the institutional recommendation a Missouri graduate would have.
An agency can only list courses and grades it can read. Give it the full transcript for every year, the diploma and any record of student teaching, each with a certified translation. We keep grades and hours exactly as recorded; turning them into letter grades and a GPA is the agency's work.
Which listed agency, and its translation rule
Missouri's list is short, and the page says to contact the agency for instructions before sending documents (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials).
WES does not translate and wants an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator (WES).
Educational Perspectives accepts a reputable translation agency or a certified professional translator, and also translates (EP).
The Evaluation Company accepts outside translations only from translators certified by the American Translators Association, or translates once your application is complete (TEC). If you choose TEC, see the ATA section below.
Tell any agency the report is for Missouri teacher certification and that it must include letter grades and a cumulative GPA.
Need a certified translation for Missouri DESE?
$24.95 per page of up to 250 words, certification included, usually within 24 hours for one to three pages. See the price before you pay.
Documents applicants usually translate
- University diploma or degree certificate
- Transcripts and mark sheets for all years
- Teaching certificate or license from the other country
- Student teaching or practicum records
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 Missouri DESE
The translation goes to the agency with your transcripts and certification information, under that agency's instructions; the agency sends its official report to DESE (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials).
You then complete the online Non-Missouri Graduate application and mail the remaining items on the Non-Missouri Graduate checklist in one packet to Educator Certification, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102 (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
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:
$34.95 per page
Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian
$44.95 per page
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, Croatian, Danish and Persian
To order it, ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for Missouri DESE, 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.
What we do not do
eVerbary is a translation service, not a credential evaluation service or a licensing agency: we do not issue evaluations, US equivalencies or GPA conversions, we cannot send documents on behalf of the school or authority that issued them, and we do not file the license application.
For Missouri DESE that means we translate your records for the credentialing agency; the transcript analysis, its GPA and DESE's course evaluation are outside what we do.
How to order
- Scan or photograph every page of the document, front and back, including any stamps on the reverse.
- Upload it, choose the language and "certified", and see the price before paying.
- 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
Does Missouri DESE need a translation of my transcripts?
DESE requires an English transcript analysis from a listed agency (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri); the agency needs your records in English under its own rule. WES, for example, wants a professional translator (WES: translation requirements).
Which agencies does Missouri accept?
Atlas, Educational Perspectives, Foreign Consultants, Institute of Foreign Credential Services, The Evaluation Company and WES (Recognized credentialing agencies for out-of-country credentials).
Do I need this if I was never certified in my country?
Yes. DESE asks anyone who completed a teacher preparation program in another country for the agency analysis (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
Can I email my application materials?
No. DESE does not accept faxed or emailed application materials; the checklist items go by mail in one packet (To become certified as a teacher in Missouri).
Can eVerbary provide an ATA-certified translator for The Evaluation Company?
Yes, on request. Ask for a free quote and write in the notes that the translation is for The Evaluation Company and needs a translator individually certified by ATA.
Sources
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Certification's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for Missouri DESE?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.