Eastern Michigan University: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Sample translation: a Brazilian university transcript

This is what an order looks like when it is delivered, with invented names, school and numbers. The original in Portuguese sits next to our English translation, and the PDF starts with the signed certification page. Bracketed text in the translation is a translator's note: each abbreviation is spelled out the first time it appears, and the layout follows the original line for line, so an admissions officer or a credential evaluator can match it without guessing.

Swipe to compare the original and the translation →

What to notice

• CPF, RG, MEC, D.O.U., CH, CR and ENADE are spelled out in brackets the first time they appear, and only then.
• Status codes (AP, RM, RF, AE) are explained on first use, so a course failed and retaken the next term reads correctly.
• Grades, decimal commas and dates stay exactly as printed; the date format is noted once. Converting grades is the evaluator's job.
• Terms, rows and columns follow the original line for line, so each course can be matched at a glance.

Download the sample PDF

More sample translations

Worth knowing about EMU

EMU requirements in detail

An official translator, when the school issues none in English

EMU only accepts official documents that come directly from the school, and requires at least three years of secondary school transcripts or mark sheets to decide (undergraduate application).

All transcripts must be in English: if your school does not issue English transcripts, you have them translated by an official translator, and EMU's page links two providers, Educational Perspectives' translation service and The Evaluation Company, as examples. eVerbary's certified translations are made by professional translators and include a signed certificate of accuracy.

The documents themselves depend on your country. EMU's transcript requirement tool lets you choose your country, A Levels or the IB Diploma to see what it needs for admission, so check it before ordering the translation.

Graduate applicants: four evaluators only

Graduate applicants who attended any post-secondary institution outside the US must have all transcripts evaluated course by course by ECE, Educational Perspectives, The Evaluation Company or WES; EMU accepts no other agency, uses only the first evaluation submitted, and wants a copy of the original transcripts included (graduate application).

Their translation rules differ.

WES wants a word-for-word translation by a professional translator; ECE also accepts the applicant's own; Educational Perspectives takes one from a reputable agency or certified professional translator or translates in-house; TEC wants an outside translator certified by ATA. For TEC, ask eVerbary for a translator individually certified by ATA.

Documents applicants usually translate

• Secondary school transcripts or mark sheets, at least three years
• WAEC or national examination results
• University transcripts, for graduate applicants' evaluation
• Degree certificates

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 EMU

• Undergraduate: the school sends official transcripts to international_admissions@emich.edu, and EMU does not add documents to your file that do not come from the school (International undergraduates: how to apply).

  The page does not say how a translation is delivered, so ask that office before you order whether you send the certified translation, whether we email it to them on your behalf, or whether your school forwards it with the transcript.

• Graduate: the translation goes to the evaluator with your records, and the agency sends the evaluation directly to international_admissions@emich.edu (International graduates: how to apply).

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 EMU, 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