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South Dakota Department of Education, Office of Educator Certification: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language
Yes, through the evaluation: South Dakota DOE asks for a credential evaluation, and WES, one of the agencies it accepts, takes certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
Credential evaluation: NACES or AICE course-by-course evaluation
- $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
The South Dakota Department of Education asks out-of-country educators for a course-by-course Foreign Credential Evaluation from a member of NACES or AICE, showing at least a bachelor's degree and the equivalent of an educator preparation program; it publishes no translation rule of its own.
WES, a NACES member, accepts certified translations from professional services such as eVerbary.
We translate your diploma, transcripts and teaching certificate for the agency; the evaluation and the certificate come from the agency and the department.
South Dakota DOE at a glance
Does it accept eVerbary? Yes
South Dakota DOE requires a course-by-course evaluation completed by a member of NACES or AICE (out-of-country guide); WES is a NACES member and accepts a translation by a professional translator or certified translation agency (WES translation rules), so a certified translation from a professional service such as eVerbary meets the evaluation agency's rule. Policy checked on October 21, 2026.
- Translation
- Through the evaluation; no DOE rule
- Who may translate
- Set by the agency; WES: professional translator
- Credential evaluation
- NACES or AICE course-by-course evaluation
- 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 South Dakota DOE's own page before you submit.
Worth knowing about South Dakota DOE
Evaluation, not transcript
Do not submit your official foreign transcript.
Preparation must show
The equivalent of an approved educator preparation program.
Rules changed September 2026
Updated out-of-country guidance is still coming.
South Dakota DOE requirements in detail
Translation
The department publishes no translation rule; your records are translated for the evaluation agency, under that agency's rule (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Who may translate
Evaluation
Course-by-course, by a member of NACES or AICE, showing at least a bachelor's degree (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Report contents
University-level credit, course titles, grades, semester hours, US equivalency of the degree, and documentation that the equivalent of an approved educator preparation program was completed (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Original or copy
Upload the Foreign Credential Evaluation in the Educator Portal; do not submit your official foreign transcript, only the evaluation is needed (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Teaching credential
A teaching certificate issued by the country where you teach, or Form EPV1 completed by the foreign school that employed you (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Other requirements
Proof of legal alien status; the department cannot proceed until the evaluation and the certificate or EPV1 are received (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
The evaluation decides your endorsements
South Dakota uses the evaluation for more than the degree.
In the Educator Portal you select as your major the "Recommended US Equivalency" printed on the Foreign Credential Evaluation, and you choose endorsements based on it or on approved South Dakota content tests (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
The report must also document that you completed the equivalent of an approved educator preparation program.
That makes a complete translation important: the agency needs every course title, grade and hour, and the practicum or student teaching record, to describe your preparation. We translate them exactly as printed; the equivalency is the agency's work.
Certificate or experience form
Besides the evaluation, the department asks for either your teaching certificate from the other country or Form EPV1, a teaching experience verification completed by the foreign school where you work or worked (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
A certificate not in English is a document we translate; Form EPV1 is a South Dakota form completed by the school.
Tests are needed only if you request endorsements beyond your area, your certificate is invalid, or you never held one.
New rules in effect, guidance still updating
The Office of Educator Certification says it is updating resources after new certification rules took effect on September 8, 2026, and that some links return errors meanwhile (Educator certification).
Its certification requirements page marks out-of-country certification as coming soon, while its "Becoming an Educator" page still links the out-of-country guide dated December 2025 (Becoming an educator).
Check with certification@state.sd.us before ordering an evaluation if your application is still months away.
Need a certified translation for South Dakota DOE?
$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 every degree
- Teacher preparation and student teaching records
- Teaching certificate from the other country
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 South Dakota DOE
The translation goes to the NACES or AICE agency with your documents, under that agency's instructions (WES, for example, takes uploads in your WES account) (WES: translation requirements).
You upload the Foreign Credential Evaluation and your out-of-country certificate in the South Dakota Educator Portal, with the Initial Educator Application (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
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 South Dakota DOE that means we translate your records for the evaluation agency; the Foreign Credential Evaluation and the certification decision 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
Do I send my foreign transcript to South Dakota?
No. Only the Foreign Credential Evaluation is needed, not your official foreign transcript (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Which evaluation agencies does South Dakota accept?
Members of NACES or AICE, for a course-by-course evaluation (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025, NACES).
Who translates my documents for the evaluation?
The agency sets the rule. WES wants a professional translator and refuses applicant translations (WES: translation requirements).
Do I need to take South Dakota tests?
Only if you request endorsements beyond your area, your certificate is invalid, or you never held one (Out-of-country applicant guide, December 2025).
Are the rules changing?
New certification rules took effect September 8, 2026, and the department is updating its guidance (Educator certification).
Sources
South Dakota Department of Education, Office of Educator Certification's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
Translating documents for South Dakota DOE?
Upload a scan of your diploma, transcript or license and see the price and delivery time before you pay.