Maricopa County Community College District: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Sample translation: a Mexican high school certificate

This is what an order looks like when it is delivered, with invented names, school and numbers. The original in Spanish 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

• CCT, CURP and the state abbreviation Jal. are spelled out in brackets the first time they appear, so an evaluator does not have to look up a Mexican acronym.
• Courtesy and degree titles (C., Mtra., Lic.) are kept as printed and explained once; names keep both surnames in place.
• Grades stay on the 5-to-10 scale the certificate prints, with its minimum passing grade. Converting them is the evaluator's job.
• The six semesters keep the certificate's two columns, and the seal, signatures and QR code are described in brackets where they appear.

Download the sample PDF

More sample translations

Worth knowing about Maricopa

Maricopa requirements in detail

One district rule for translations

The Maricopa colleges publish the same district text on foreign transcripts.

All official English word-for-word translations must be certified by a professional translator and carry the translator's signature or stamp and, if appropriate, the translation company's letterhead; some schools also issue records in English or a word-for-word translation on request (Phoenix College).

MCCCD recommends getting the translation from an agency or translator listed with the American Translators Association but does not recommend any one over another, and warns that it is not responsible for translations by any agency.

The same text appears on Scottsdale's and Chandler-Gilbert's pages.

Mesa Community College's F-1 checklist puts it more briefly: originals must come with their English version, and only translations by verifiable and certified translation agencies are accepted.

An eVerbary translation is a word-for-word translation signed by a professional translator, with a certificate of accuracy on company letterhead.

Evaluations: NACES, course by course

MCCCD accepts foreign transcript evaluations from NACES members, done for education and course by course, and they never replace the official records or the English translations (Phoenix College: international credential evaluation agencies (MCCCD)).

If the agency includes the records it used and states they were official or authenticated, the college may accept those copies as official.

The colleges list agencies commonly used in Arizona: ACEI, ECE, GCE, IERF, SpanTran and WES (Scottsdale Community College: foreign transcript evaluation).

ACEI, GCE and SpanTran want translators certified by ATA; ECE, IERF and WES accept professional translations. Check with the college you apply to that your agency is accepted.

Whether you need an evaluation depends on your goal and college. Scottsdale does not require one to apply, only for prerequisites or credit (Scottsdale Community College: foreign transcript evaluation).

At Chandler-Gilbert, domestic students with records from abroad have them translated and evaluated, F-1 students need a course-by-course report to transfer credit, and student-athletes must file evaluated transcripts before their season under NJCAA rules (Chandler-Gilbert Community College: credential evaluation and translation services).

If you plan to transfer to an Arizona university, MCCCD advises asking that university which agencies and translators it accepts.

F-1 applicants at Mesa

Mesa Community College asks F-1 applicants for a photocopy of the official high school transcript and the certificate of graduation with its date, submitted with certified English translations if not in English; transfer students add transcripts from all US colleges attended (Mesa admission requirements).

Spring 2027 applications open July 30 through November 1, the minimum financial guarantee is $30,219 ($13,019 with a room and board sponsor), and Mesa recommends applying three to six months ahead.

Documents applicants usually translate

• High school transcript and certificate of graduation
• College or university transcripts, for the course-by-course evaluation
• Course descriptions, if your college asks for them
• Bank statements for the financial guarantee, if not in English

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 Maricopa

• Send the evaluation report with the original certified record and its English translation to your college's Admissions and Records office; at Scottsdale, 9000 E. Chaparral Rd. (Scottsdale Community College: foreign transcript evaluation).

  F-1 applicants at Mesa upload originals and translations with the online application (Mesa Community College: F-1 admission requirements).

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 Maricopa, 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