The request for Certified Copies of college degrees, diplomas, transcripts and other educational documents for international use have become commonplace in today's society. Employers, universities, adoption agencies and other entities require these documents to verify credentials. These documents must be certified according to the rules and regulations of the recipient countries consulate and embassies requirements. Those countries who are participants of the Hague Convention require an apostille and those countries not a participant of the Hague Convention require consular legalization.

The proper procedure for obtaining a Certified Copy of an educational document includes the following elements:

Certified Copy issued by the Educational Institution, Sworn statement issued by the Registrar or Authorized Official that the document is valid and describes the attached document in detail, a live signature that must be handwritten not imprinted or a stamp, flawless notarization including an affidavit, jurat statement and venue, authentication certificate by the appropriate county official and apostille attached by the Department of State. In the case of legalization, the document may also need to go to the US Department of State in Washington DC and the recipient countries consulate or embassy for legalization.

Oftentimes various county clerks will also accept an attached sworn statement by a student that his/her copy of their diploma/transcript is a valid photocopy and the certification process is initiated. Over the years recipient organizations have become weary of this method and have not accepted these documents because individuals certifying their own records are not as reliable as third party verification.

The global community of commercial and educational institutions have been deluged with the phenomenon of "credential fraud". This includes false application information, forgeries, counterfeiting, bogus and fraudulently formatted transcripts, diplomas for sale on the internet, identity theft etc. (Please view the attached article) Institutions requesting these documents must have valid proof that the documents they are receiving are valid, authentic and reliable. This "peace of mind" regarding the validity of educational documents for international use goes to the core and fabric of international commerce.

Procedure

Copies of the examination, identified only by code number, are sent to two graders. Graders mark errors on a scale of 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 error points. (Up to 3 quality points may be subtracted from error points.) A passage with a final score of 18 or higher is marked Fail. Candidates who receive a Pass on both passages from both graders will receive certification. In cases where the graders disagree on the outcome, a third grader is asked to grade the passages in question. Candidates who fail the examination may apply for certification exam review.

Preparation

The certification exam is challenging, with the current overall pass rate below 20%. To prepare for the exam, candidates are encouraged to take a practice test. Translating a typical passage and studying a grader's feedback is helpful preparation for taking the examination.

Eligibility

Individuals who are ATA members and meet our eligibility requirements may take a certification examination. Once awarded, certification remains valid only as long as the translator remains a member of ATA in good standing and fulfills the continuing education requirements.

The benefits of our translation services include:

Benefits

Convenience - We can take care of your apostille legalization and your translation at the same time

Fast Service - Most translations are completed within 24 hours but larger documents may take longer

Email Your Documents - To save time you can email documents for translation

Certified Translations - We will certify the translations before dispatch

More than 140 languages - Our translation team can convert your document into most languages

Fully Inclusive Service - We can translate, apostille, attest and certify your documents

Our company also offers our clients interpreting services. Whether you need interpreting services for a large meeting with multiple participants or a one-on-one meeting, you require the highest level of professional interpreters to ensure that your communication is crystal clear and perfectly understood. Our interpreters are experienced and skilled, have a background in your area, and are fluent in both the source and target languages.

Please contact us to discover what a difference it makes to work with the most skilled and dedicated linguists–top professionals who are committed to accurate, authentic communication in over 140 languages. Our translators are certified expert linguists, providing the highest level of accuracy with the fastest turnaround and the most competitive rates.