Diploma Translation vs. Credential Evaluation: What's the Difference
A diploma translation puts your education records into English. A credential evaluation is a separate assessment of what your education equals in the U.S., and a translation doesn't replace it. Here's what to find out first so you don't pay twice.
The difference
A diploma translation gives the name of the school, the field of study, the degree, and other details in English. The transcript or diploma supplement lists the courses, grades, and hours.
A credential evaluation is done by a specialized organization that decides what your foreign education corresponds to in the U.S. system. A translation of your diploma doesn't do that on its own.
Start with who needs it
Before you pay for anything, find out what the end user wants: a university, an employer, or a licensing board. Ask whether they need an evaluation at all, which evaluation services they accept, and what kind of report.
Sometimes a translated diploma is enough. Sometimes they want a course-by-course evaluation.
Check the evaluation service's rules
Ask the evaluation service which documents need to be translated and who can translate them. Find out whether they accept translations from an outside company, whether they need the transcript, and whether they have special certification requirements.
Some services only accept translations from their own translators or from providers they name. It's better to know that up front so you don't pay for a translation twice.
If they ask for ATA certification
If an institution asks for a translator certified by the American Translators Association (ATA), that's a specific professional credential. A regular certified translation and a translation by an ATA-certified professional aren't the same thing.
ATA certification is granted for specific language pairs. Let us know about this requirement before you order, and tell us the source and target languages.
How the translation gets delivered
We've had cases where the translation had to be emailed straight to the recipient, not to the client. We've also handed clients translations in a sealed envelope that they had to deliver unopened.
If the recipient has a rule like this, send us their address and delivery instructions in advance. Check what the rule covers: the translation, the records from your school, or both. If the records have to come directly from your university, an envelope from a translation company won't replace that.
How to order
Send us your diploma, the transcript, and the evaluation service's requirements. If you need an ATA-certified professional, a sealed envelope, or a special delivery method, tell us before you pay: we'll confirm whether we can meet those conditions and give you the price and turnaround.
Once the translation is ready, the documents go to the evaluation service the way that service requires.
Translator certification in the U.S. is run by the American Translators Association: atanet.org
