Certified WES Translation

WES asks for translations that are exact and word-for-word. The phrase looks simple but it carries specific operational meaning. WES evaluators compare the translation directly with the source document, and the translation has to be matchable line-by-line, table-by-table, stamp-by-stamp.

In practical terms this means:

• Every course title, grade, and credit value is rendered
• Every stamp, seal, signature, and handwritten annotation appears in English
• The grading legend and any reverse-side text are translated
• The layout mirrors the source so the evaluator can verify each entry against the original
• The translator does not summarize, paraphrase, or interpret the content

The translation also does not convert grades to a US 4.0 GPA. Grade conversion is the evaluator's job, not the translator's.

The line between literal translation and US-style localization matters here. A degree titled "Licenciatura en Derecho" is rendered as "Bachelor's Degree in Law" or "Licenciatura en Derecho (Bachelor's Degree in Law)" with the source preserved, not as "Juris Doctor." Course names follow the same rule: they are translated literally, with translator's notes only where a literal rendering loses meaning. The receiving evaluator interprets equivalence; we translate.

WES does not run a single global checklist. The Required Documents list inside your WES account is generated based on your country of education and the credentials you have entered. That list is the authoritative reference, and it tells you which documents need to be sent through the institutional sender route and which need translation.

Common patterns we see by country:

• Indian credentials typically require year-by-year mark sheets plus the consolidated provisional or final degree certificate, often via DigiLocker for newer cohorts
• Chinese credentials are usually verified through CDGDC or CHESICC reports issued in English, with translations only required for older or non-portal records
• Brazilian credentials request the Histórico Escolar plus the Diploma de Graduação
• Mexican credentials request the Certificado de Estudios with Cedula Profesional
• European credentials often follow the Diploma Supplement model where the institution provides English alongside the source language
• African credentials often involve national exam-board certificates and university degree certificates in tandem

Older transcripts, pre-digitization records, and credentials from institutions that have closed or changed names sometimes require additional documentation. If your Required Documents list shows multiple items and you are unsure which need translation, send us the list and the documents and we will identify the translation scope before quoting.

Many older academic records were written by hand, especially for graduates who studied before their universities went digital. WES expects the same word-for-word translation for these as for typed records. The real limit is how well the translator can read the page.

Handwritten records we often see include older Indian state-university mark sheets, European transcripts from the mid-twentieth century, Latin American diplomas with calligraphic registrar entries, and African secondary-school certificates issued before printed templates became standard. We match each record to a translator who reads that language and knows that academic system.

Scan at 300 DPI or higher in even light and keep every edge of the page in view. If an entry cannot be read with confidence, the translator marks it illegible and adds a note instead of guessing. A guessed entry that differs from the visible source is the kind of mismatch that gets a file flagged.

Age, poor storage, water damage and handling all make transcripts and diplomas harder to read. We translate what is clearly visible and add a note where a portion cannot be read. The translator never fills a gap by guessing, because WES checks the translation against the source.

First ask the issuing university or examination board for a duplicate transcript or replacement diploma. Most institutions can issue one, and a clean copy is often easier to translate and to submit. For Indian universities, DigiLocker has accelerated this for newer cohorts; for Chinese credentials, CDGDC and CHESICC issue verification reports that often replace the underlying source for WES purposes.

If a damaged original is all you have, upload the clearest scan you can, with all visible text, edges, stamps and grade-scale tables. If we cannot produce a complete translation from it, we contact you before charging and discuss alternatives.

Two parallel paths run through every WES file: how the source document arrives, and how the translation arrives. They are different, and getting them mixed up is a common reason files stall.

The source-document path requires the original-language transcript or diploma to be sent to WES through an approved sender route. For most countries this is an institutional sender route: the issuing university or examination authority sends the document directly to WES, often in a sealed envelope or through a verified digital channel. India, China and several other countries have approved digital channels (DigiLocker, CDGDC and others) that can satisfy the sender requirement without a paper envelope. The exact route appears in your Required Documents list.

The translation path is different. Translations do not need to be sealed and they do not need to come from the institution. WES allows applicants to upload translations directly through their online account in the Upload Your Documents section of Account Timeline. Each file can be up to 10 MB, in PDF or JPEG format. We deliver your translation as a PDF formatted for that upload step, so the translation route closes cleanly while you wait for the source-document route to complete.

The translation shows only what the source says. It does not turn grades into a US 4.0 GPA, recalculate totals or swap course names for US equivalents. The evaluator does the conversion, so we keep the original grade scale exactly as printed on your transcript.

Conversion by a translator tends to introduce errors. Indian universities, for example, set different percentage cutoffs for "First Class with Distinction", and the US equivalent depends on the method the evaluator applies. A converted grade inside the translation would lock in an answer that the evaluator then has to override.

Names often vary between academic and personal documents. A name written in Devanagari, Arabic, Cyrillic or Chinese script can be romanized in several ways, and two documents may romanize it differently. We render each name as it appears in the source. If you want your passport spelling noted, we add it as a translator's note and leave the name in the body unchanged. Differences between transcript, diploma and passport can trigger a Clarification Required notice, so keep the spelling consistent across your document set.

You can often use the same certified translation for more than one recipient. The word-for-word text and signed Certificate of Accuracy that WES expects also fit much of what USCIS, universities and licensing bodies ask for. IRCC and UKVI add their own conditions, such as who the translator may be and which details the certificate must show, so check each checklist.

Typical reuse paths:

• A Canadian Express Entry candidate uses the translation for the WES Canada ECA and again for a provincial nominee file
• An H-1B applicant attaches the same certified translation to the degree evidence in the petition
• An internationally educated nurse reuses it for the WES report, the state board of nursing and the CGFNS file
• A graduate-school applicant sends it to several universities without re-translating

A few state licensing boards and scholarship bodies want a translation with a recent date. If an office asks for one, tell us and we can issue a freshly dated copy of any order we completed, at no extra cost. We keep your file for the standard retention period, so reissue is quick.

Holds on translations tend to repeat the same few mistakes. A file may be tagged On Hold, Missing Documents or Clarification Required for technical reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of your education. Knowing what evaluators check helps you prevent delays before you upload.

Common causes of WES translation holds are:

• A course table that is missing or summarized
• A back-page grading legend that was not scanned or translated
• Tables collapsed into running text
• Grades converted to a US 4.0 GPA
• Seals, signatures or stamps left out
• Names that differ between diploma, transcript and WES profile without a note
• A Certificate of Accuracy that is incomplete, unsigned or undated

We build each translation to avoid these problems. We render every course, grade and credit hour, ask for the back-page legend before we start, keep the layout of the source and translate grade scales without converting them. The Certificate of Accuracy is typed, dated and signed, with the translator's full name and contact details. If WES still flags a problem with our translation, free revisions are included for 14 days after delivery.