Academic Transcript Translation

Prism Language Solutions translates academic transcripts, mark sheets and diploma supplements into English and certifies them for WES and ECE course-by-course evaluations, graduate admissions and state licensing boards. Every course title, credit value, grade and legend is rendered as issued, the grading scale is explained in a translator's note rather than converted to a GPA, and the layout follows the original so the evaluator can read across. Multi-page transcripts are priced per page, as a guide $30 to $45, and are usually back in two to three business days.

Last reviewed September 11, 2026 by Sarah J, Prism Language Solutions

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Academic Transcript Translation for WES Course-by-Course Evaluation

WES's course-by-course report analyzes each course on the transcript and converts the credits and grades into a GPA on a 4.0 scale; it is the report licensing boards and graduate programs usually ask for, where a document-by-document report is enough for immigration and first-year admission. The transcript itself must reach WES from the institution, either through an approved electronic channel or in a sealed envelope, while the translation is uploaded by the applicant. WES requires that translation to be exact and word-for-word, done by a professional translator, and clear enough that the evaluator can read every course title and grade. It also asks that the translator work from official documents, so request two sets from the university: one sealed for the evaluator, one for us.

Indian applicants send the degree or provisional certificate with all years of mark sheets, or a consolidated mark sheet, and WES accepts yearly or consolidated as long as the institution issued them. Chinese applicants must have the transcript verified by the Ministry of Education's CSSD (formerly CHESICC) and send the electronic verification report with the degree or graduation certificate; we translate the report along with the transcript. The diploma that goes with the transcript is covered on the diploma translation page.

Grading Scales and Credits in a Transcript Translation

We do not convert grades, and we do not invent credits. A percentage stays a percentage; a class or division stays a class or division; a grade expressed as a word stays that word with the literal English beside it. What we add is a translator's note that reproduces the scale printed on the transcript or, where the transcript carries none, states the scale as published by the institution and says so. Take the common Indian university scale: WES's own conversion guide maps 70 to 100 (First Class with Distinction) to an A, 60 to 69 (First Class) and 50 to 59 (Second Class) to a B, and 35 to 49 (Third or Pass Class) to a C. That mapping is WES's judgement, informed by the institution's grade distribution, and a translator who writes "A" next to a 72 has pre-empted it. The Indian mark sheet also carries maximum marks per paper, and those are rendered in every row because the evaluator computes from them.

Course Titles in an Academic Transcript Translation

Course titles are translated literally, in the original order, with the original course code beside them. "Introduction to the Theory of the State and Law" is not renamed "Constitutional Law I" to match a US catalog, and a course whose title is an abbreviation is expanded only in a bracketed note. The reason is practical: graduate admissions and licensing boards map foreign courses to their own prerequisites, and they need the course as taught, not the closest American label. Where a title is genuinely ambiguous we ask the applicant for the syllabus and note the clarification, initialed as a translator's note, so the reader can see what came from the document and what came from us.

Transcript Translation by Country

Multi-Page Transcript Translation Pricing

Transcripts are dense, so the per-page guide rate is higher than for a certificate: in the US market about $30 to $45 per page, or a per-word price for very long records, fixed before work starts. A four-year Indian program with eight semester mark sheets is typically eight to ten pages; a Russian supplement two to four; a Chinese transcript with verification report three to five. Repeated headers and legends are counted once, which is why a per-page quote on a transcript is usually lower than the page count suggests. A second linguist checks every number against the original before the certificate is signed, because a transposed mark is the error that costs an applicant a semester. The written quote fixes the figure and the delivery date, usually two to three business days; wider ranges sit on the pricing page.

Sending Transcripts for Translation

Send a clear scan of every page, including the back where the grading legend usually lives, and the diploma if it is going to the same recipient. Tell us which evaluator, university or board it is for and whether they want the translation uploaded, mailed or sealed. If the university will only give you one sealed set, ask for two; WES itself recommends it. We deliver a PDF for upload and, on request, a signed hard copy in a sealed envelope. If the transcript needs notarization or an apostille for a foreign recipient, say so at the start: notarized translation, apostille translation. The certificate format itself is described under certified translation.

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