Seminole State College of Florida: Translation Requirements for Documents in Another Language

Worth knowing about Seminole State

Seminole State requirements in detail

What each evaluation agency asks for the translation

WES asks for an exact, word-for-word translation by a professional translator, such as a certified translation agency, and does not accept translations made by applicants (WES).

ECE accepts a complete, literal, word-for-word translation in the same format as the original and lets applicants translate their own documents; it also sells an $85 waiver under which it translates for its report only, without giving you a translation you can reuse (ECE).

The Evaluation Company says an outside translator must be certified by the American Translators Association, or you can order its own translation once your evaluation application is complete (TEC).

Josef Silny & Associates asks for translations made in the US by ATA-certified translators, or abroad by accredited or officially certified professional translators, and has its own translation department (Josef Silny). If you choose either of them, see the ATA section below.

High school applicants need an evaluation too

At many colleges a foreign high school diploma is read in-house.

Seminole State's catalog says that a student who attended only high school must still have the transcripts officially translated to English and then evaluated by a NACES member (Catalog: admissions requirements for international students); the international office's page specifies a document-by-document report for high school (International Student Office: future students). University work needs a course-by-course report.

So the order is fixed: translation first, then the evaluation, then the agency's report to Student Records. For transfer credit, the registrar evaluates the report only after you are admitted and enrolled in an eligible program (Registrar: transfer credit information).

Where Seminole State's pages differ

The international office page asks for transcripts to be translated and evaluated without naming a translator.

The catalog says only documents in English are accepted and translations must be completed by an "official body", adding that a notary public does not automatically qualify as a translator.

The registrar's page says college transcripts go to the NACES agency "for translation and course-by-course evaluation".

We have not resolved these differences; before ordering, ask international@seminolestate.edu whether a certified translation from a professional service meets the catalog's wording for documents that do not go through the agency, such as bank letters.

Documents applicants usually translate

• High school transcripts and diploma, for the document-by-document evaluation
• University transcripts and degree certificates, for the course-by-course evaluation
• National exam results and leaving certificates
• Bank letters and sponsor documents, 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 Seminole State

• The translation goes to the evaluation agency with your transcripts (WES, for example, takes uploads in your WES account: WES: translation requirements).

  The agency then sends its US equivalency report directly to Seminole State's Student Records (Catalog: admissions requirements for international students).

• Your application, financial documents and the $50 processing fee go to the International Student Office by the term deadline (Catalog: admissions requirements for international students).

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 Seminole State, 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