Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: 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 TBPELS

TBPELS requirements in detail

Two Texas rules on one document

Texas asks for both: the Board's own translation rule covers anything you submit (Non-accredited and foreign degrees), and the evaluation service applies its rule to what it receives.

NCEES accepts literal translations by a certified translation service (NCEES). TEC and Josef Silny take outside translations only from translators certified by ATA, so if you choose either of them see the ATA section below.

TEC built a TBPELS-specific application with a discounted rate (Non-accredited and foreign degrees), and NCEES is the only option if you want an NCEES Record you can reuse in other states (Non-accredited and foreign degrees).

The Board also takes written requests to waive the evaluation under rule 133.33(b) (Non-accredited and foreign degrees).

Experience and references from abroad

Foreign experience may be claimed, but rule 133.43(a)(3)(D) wants at least two years in the US or under US design codes, and the evaluation result often sets how many years you need (PE licensing for international applicants).

References must come from licensed PEs; rule 133.51(b) lets a PE who did not see your work review your Supplementary Experience Record (PE licensing for international applicants).

Supporting letters or certificates from employers abroad that are not in English need a certified translation too.

A rule under review

In February 2026 the Board voted to publish proposals that include the repeal of rule 133.37, English Translation, and a new rule 133.30, Application Language (Board meeting minutes, February 2026).

On November 12, 2026 the Board's foreign-degree page still required a certified English translation (Non-accredited and foreign degrees). Check the page before you file.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts and degree certificates, for the Board and the evaluation service
• Employment letters and experience certificates from employers abroad
• Foreign engineering licenses or registration certificates
• Name-change documents such as a marriage certificate

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 TBPELS

• Translations go with the documents they support in your TBPELS application; the evaluation itself is sent by the service, and the official transcript by the school, directly to the Board (Non-accredited and foreign degrees).

  The Board's printable foreign-degree sheet lists each evaluator's address (Foreign degree requirements sheet).

• For the evaluation service, follow its instructions; eVerbary can mail a sealed, signed hard copy to the service ($19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US). Write in the order notes that it is for a Texas PE application.

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 TBPELS, 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