California State University, Los Angeles (Cal State LA): Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Cal State LA

Cal State LA requirements in detail

Word for word, and certified

Cal State LA's submitting documents page sets the undergraduate rule in one sentence: if your records are not issued in English, provide certified English translations, word for word and not interpretations, along with the documents.

It adds that certified translators can be found at the American Translators Association. We translate every line, stamp and grade in the order of the original, without summarizing, which is what "not interpretations" asks for.

The official records themselves must come directly from each school, with the grading scale. In countries that issue only one original record or degree certificate, Cal State LA asks you not to send it: copies are accepted for the first review, and the original is shown in person before you enroll.

Graduate applicants: ATA translators and a course-by-course report

For international graduate and post-baccalaureate applicants with records from outside the US, the requirements are three: official records with the grading scale, ATA-certified word-for-word translations of all records, and a course-by-course, detailed evaluation from an approved agency (Admissions: submitting documents).

The evaluation reports page names IERF, WES and The Evaluation Company, or any NACES member since fall 2024, and asks for certified mirror or direct translations sent with the documents.

The report must include certified copies of your records and be of the right type; a wrong report can delay or withdraw the application (Foreign credential evaluation reports), and the evaluation is required for every international graduate applicant (graduate admission).

Both rules fit the agencies: WES accepts a professional translation, and TEC wants an ATA-certified translator. With an eVerbary translator individually certified by ATA, one translation serves both Cal State LA and the agency.

Documents applicants usually translate

• Secondary school transcripts and leaving certificate, with the grading scale
• University transcripts and degree certificates
• Grading scale or marks legend issued by the school
• Records for the graduate evaluation (IERF, WES, TEC or NACES)

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 exactly as recorded, with the grading scale the document prints. We never convert marks to a US GPA.
• A signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead, with our contact details, delivered as a PDF you can upload.
• $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.

Uploading the translation to Cal State LA

• Send the certified translations with the documents, as Cal State LA asks; the official records come directly from each school (Admissions: submitting documents). eVerbary can email the translation directly to the admissions office on request, or mail it to you in a sealed, signed envelope (choose the hard copy at checkout with your address, $19.95 Priority or $37.95 Express in the US).

• Graduate applicants send records and translations to the evaluation agency, choosing the course-by-course report and Cal State LA as recipient (Foreign credential evaluation reports).

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 Cal State LA, which program 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 upload it with the copy of the original wherever the institution asks for it.

Frequently asked questions