Virginia Board for Architects, Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, Certified Interior Designers and Landscape Architects: 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.

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Worth knowing about Virginia APELSCIDLA Board

Virginia APELSCIDLA Board requirements in detail

The evaluation decides four or six years

Virginia ties experience to the evaluation: a foreign degree found equivalent to an ABET-accredited one needs four years of experience, one that is not needs six (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs).

If you hold a US graduate degree you may not need the evaluation, but you still verify both degrees (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs).

The Board names three evaluators and says it does not endorse them (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs).

Their translation rules differ: NCEES wants literal translations from a certified translation service, returned directly to NCEES (NCEES, NCEES Records FAQ); WES wants word-for-word translations by a professional translator (WES); TEC takes outside translations only from ATA-certified translators (TEC). If you choose TEC, see the ATA section below.

Paper application, original documents

The Board requires original application documents and does not accept applications by email (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs); the PE application lists a degree verification form or official school transcript among the required items (Professional engineer license application, form A416-0402LIC).

After you apply, the Board emails you an exam on its regulations, which you must pass (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs).

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts or mark sheets, for the evaluator
• Degree certificates and diplomas
• Course descriptions, when the evaluator asks for them
• Experience letters from employers abroad

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 Virginia APELSCIDLA Board

• Translations go to the evaluator you choose; the evaluator sends its report directly to the Board (APELSCIDLA Board: education, exams and FAQs). For NCEES, the transcript translation is returned directly to NCEES (NCEES Records FAQ); for WES, you upload it in your WES account (WES).

• eVerbary can mail the translation to the evaluator in a sealed, signed envelope: choose the hard copy at checkout ($19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US) and write in the order notes that it is for a Virginia PE 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 Virginia APELSCIDLA 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