Contra Costa College: 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 CCC

CCC requirements in detail

Contra Costa College and the district international office

CCC's international students page gives its own deadlines and English proficiency options but refers applicants to the district website for all admission requirements and steps.

The Contra Costa Community College District international office admits F-1 students for CCC, Diablo Valley College and Los Medanos College with one application and no application fee.

Adult applicants send a passport copy, English proficiency evidence and financial documents; under-18 applicants add a high school transcript or a letter with the expected graduation date.

CCC accepts scanned copies of final IGCSE and O Level results, which can meet both the high school equivalency and the English requirement, but it does not admit on preliminary results or on exams taken as a private candidate (Contra Costa College: international students).

If your school letter stating English was the language of instruction is in another language, it needs a translation.

When CCC students need an evaluation, and what each agency asks

The district says its colleges do not evaluate college or university transcripts from abroad for course waivers or transfer credit.

If you want foreign credit applied to a CCC associate degree, a NACES member must first produce a course-by-course report, and the appropriate CCC department reviews it; students who plan to transfer to a four-year school without a CCC associate degree do not need one and should see a counselor (Contra Costa Community College District: international students).

WES wants an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator and does not translate (WES).

ECE accepts complete, word-for-word translations, lets applicants translate their own, and sells an $85 waiver under which it translates internally for the report only (ECE).

IERF wants typed, line-by-line translations in the original layout (IERF); Educational Perspectives accepts a reputable agency or certified translator (EP); FCSA accepts most professional agencies, and the applicant's own only for Spanish (FCSA).

Nurses trained abroad

CCC's associate degree nursing program has a Foreign Trained Nurse category for applicants trained in another country whom the California Board of Registered Nursing has told to complete more coursework before the NCLEX-RN.

The bulletin asks for NURS 205 and NURS 212 with a B or better, a Foreign Trained Nurse application, a CCC application, a letter on your goals and work history, and a copy of the BRN letter; admission is by space available, after other advanced placement groups.

The bulletin lists no translation or evaluation of your nursing records; those are handled by the BRN before you apply.

Documents applicants usually translate

• University transcripts and course descriptions, for the NACES evaluation
• Degree or diploma from the foreign college or university
• High school transcript or expected-graduation letter, for under-18 applicants
• Letter from your school stating English was the medium of instruction
• Bank statement or sponsor's financial documents

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 CCC

• The translation goes to the evaluation agency with your records (WES in your WES account, ECE by mail or email), and the agency sends its course-by-course report for review by the CCC department (WES, ECE, district).

• Admission documents are uploaded with the district's online international application (Contra Costa Community College District: international students); Foreign Trained Nurse packets go to CCC's Admissions & Records Office (CCC nursing: Foreign Trained Nurse bulletin (PDF)).

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