How does academic transcripts translation work?

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SUMMARY

Academic transcript translation involves two primary methods: using an official translation provided by the university or obtaining a certified translator if no official document exists. Inaccuracies in course titles, such as "General Mathematics 1" being incorrectly labeled instead of "Calculus 1," can impact the evaluation of educational credentials. In the U.S., the translation process includes not only the transcript but also course descriptions and degree equivalency evaluations, which can vary significantly between institutions. Accurate course content is essential for proper assessment, as course titles may differ across universities.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of academic transcript formats
  • Familiarity with certified translation processes
  • Knowledge of U.S. educational credential evaluation
  • Awareness of international education systems
NEXT STEPS
  • Research certified translation services for academic documents
  • Learn about U.S. educational credential evaluation services
  • Explore the differences in course content across international universities
  • Investigate the requirements for translating course descriptions
USEFUL FOR

International students, educational administrators, and anyone involved in the translation and evaluation of academic credentials will benefit from this discussion.

symbolipoint
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How does academic transcripts translation work?
 
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symbolipoint said:
How does academic transcripts translation work?
Is your question related to this thread?
Florian Geyer said:
Hello esteemed members
I hope this message finds you all well.

I am writing to you to address what I think are inaccuracies in my English transcript of the courses I have studied in my university, which is my courses’ titles are not correct. For example, "General Mathematics 1" should actually be "Calculus 1," and similarly, "General Mathematics 2" should be "Calculus 2.". Additionally, “physics laboratory” is titled “practical physics” in the
Another issue is with one of my elective courses, which is titled as "Optional Course 2" in the transcript instead of specifying that it is a course in Plasma Physics.

I have two questions regarding this matter:
1. Could you please tell me if this make a lot of difference?
2. Could you please give me some advice on how can I correct this?

Thank you for considering this thread.
 
That is a big part of why I wonder and asked. Also, I had thought about transcript translations at a few times from many years ago.
 
symbolipoint said:
How does academic transcripts translation work?
As far as I know, there are two ways:
- First, if there is an official translated one given to you by your university, then this is the translation you have to use.
- the second, is if there is not such official document. In this case, you have to find a certified translator who can make your document (transcript in the case of this thread) an official one.

My problem was that the official document is not correct.
A lot of the generous members in this forum gave me a fully satisfying answers which solved the problem so far.

Thank you for taking my thread into consideration.
 
symbolipoint said:
That is a big part of why I wonder and asked. Also, I had thought about transcript translations at a few times from many years ago.
It's not simply an issue of translating the transcript. In the US, if an applicant for a position were educated outside the US, there are potentially three separate issues concerning educational credentials (depending on the position): (1) a translation of the transcript (that's the easy part); (2) a translation of the course descriptions (which may be difficult to retrieve, depending on circumstances); and (3) an evaluation of the degree equivalency.

In regard to (2), as I mentioned in the other thread, at least in the US, there is no standardization of course titles and course content. E.g., the curriculum of Calculus I, II, III in University A can be different from that in University B; and the same content can be offered under entirely different titles in University C. So course titles per se are not critical; course content is. And course content is gleaned from the course description in the school catalog.

In regard to (3), by an evaluation of the degree equivalency, I mean the following. In the US, secondary (high school) education typically runs through Grade 12, and an undergrad (bachelor's) college program typically takes four years. In other countries, however, secondary education might run for 13 years, followed by a 3-year undergrad program. Other countries might also have degrees such as "diploma" or "licentia", not awarded in the US. So the question arises of what equivalent US educational level (degree) the applicant has achieved. There are firms that (for a fee) will evaluate the foreign credentials and determine a US equivalent.
 
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