At IEE Language Services, our commitment to excellence in credential translation goes far beyond converting words from one language to another. We understand that official academic and legal document translations, whether for university admissions, professional licensure, or immigration applications, must uphold the highest standards of accuracy, consistency, and integrity. One error or omission can delay a college application, derail a licensure process, or even result in a rejected immigration petition. That’s why we’ve developed and follow a set of proven best practices to ensure that every translation fully supports a smooth, credible, and compliant evaluation process.
Why Certified Human Translators Outperform AI in Credential Translation
At IEE, we work exclusively with highly qualified professional human translators who are native speakers and subject-matter experts. Each translator specializes in academic and legal documents and possesses in-depth knowledge of global education systems, grading structures, and institutional terminology.
For example, a high school transcript from Brazil might list “Ensino Médio” coursework, while a French university diploma may refer to a “Licence” or “Maîtrise”, terms that don’t have direct English equivalents. Our translators know how to contextualize and accurately render such terminology without losing meaning or misrepresenting qualifications.
Importantly, we never use machine translation tools or AI-generated content. While such tools can speed up general translation, they often miss cultural and technical nuances, leading to potential misinterpretations. Consider a course titled “Formación Cívica y Ética” from Mexico, it might be incorrectly rendered by AI as “Civic Formation,” overlooking the broader implications related to ethics and citizenship education that evaluators need to understand. These are the types of distinctions only experienced human translators can make with confidence.
How IEE Preserves Document Format and Context for Accurate Evaluations
Accurate translation is only part of the equation. Preserving the layout and structure of the source document is critical for proper evaluation. Our translators carefully mirror the formatting of original diplomas, transcripts, and academic certificates to allow side-by-side comparison during course-by-course evaluations or credential equivalency assessments. This attention to visual structure helps evaluators locate and interpret grades, credit hours, and course descriptions with precision.
We follow global formatting standards and IEE-specific conventions, including:
- Identifying official seals, emblems, watermarks, and other distinguishing visual features
- Translating all legible content, including marginal notes, stamps, and handwritten annotations
- Using footnotes for translator clarifications (e.g., “The grade ‘5’ corresponds to ‘Excellent’ in the Russian system”)
- Flagging missing or illegible content with appropriate notation (e.g., “[Illegible]”)
- Preserving untranslated official terminology when needed, with contextual notes in brackets
This level of detail becomes especially important when working with documents from countries like China or Iran, where stamps and official remarks often validate academic records and may influence eligibility for immigration or academic credit transfer.
Certified Translations That Meet USCIS, University, and Licensure Standards
Every translation from IEE is delivered as a certified translation, complete with a signed translator declaration, listing the date, credentials, and a clear statement confirming the translation’s completeness and accuracy. We fully comply with ATA (American Translators Association) standards, which are widely accepted by universities, state licensing boards, and U.S. immigration agencies such as USCIS.
Each IEE-certified translation is traceable through a unique reference number and is paired with the original document, making it easy for evaluators and institutions to validate authenticity.
Integrated Translation and Evaluation Services for Faster Results
What sets IEE apart is our fully integrated translation and evaluation workflow. Our in-house Translation and Evaluation Teams work closely to ensure that once your document is translated, it’s immediately formatted for review, no further editing, clarification, or reformatting needed. This seamless collaboration eliminates delays and prevents the kinds of common issues that arise when working with multiple third-party providers.
That said, we also respect flexibility. If you already have a certified translation from a reputable, ATA-compliant translator, we are happy to review and accept it, provided it meets our quality and formatting standards
Whether you’re submitting academic transcripts for admission to a graduate program, a foreign degree for licensure as a nurse or teacher, or credentials for an immigration petition, you can trust IEE Language Services to provide accurate, certified translations that meet institutional requirements and uphold your professional goals.
At IEE, we don’t just translate documents, we translate opportunity.
