Why do Credential Evaluators Need the Original Documents, even if you have Translations?

By Howard Borenstein

Our credential evaluators at Park often ask applicants to provide documents in the original language, even if they have already provided certified translations. This naturally raises the question: Why are translations alone insufficient? Why do we need the originals as well?

There are several reasons.

First, translations can contain errors. This does not necessarily mean that the translator did a poor job. Translation is difficult, and even a careful human translation can contain mistakes, since words and phrases do not always have exact equivalents in other languages. Context, culture, and the way a particular language is used all matter. If a translator uses AI / machine learning as part of their translation process, this can sometimes compound the problem. Due to this, we cannot simply assume that a translation is a perfect representation of the original document. We need the original document in order to compare the two.

Second, and more importantly, sometimes a translation makes assumptions about the nature and equivalency of the foreign academics that can be misleading. French degrees are a great example. Master, Maîtrise, and Mastère can all be translated as “Master,” but they are not necessarily equivalent credentials. If we receive a French credential and the translation simply says “Master,” that doesn’t tell us enough. We need to see the original French document, not just a translator’s English interpretation of the credential’s title.

There is also a practical reason for needing original-language documents. In our experience, AACRAO EDGE typically lists credential titles in the original language. We want our evaluations to be in as much accordance with EDGE as possible, so having the original title helps us identify the specific credential and ensure we are applying the appropriate equivalency.

This all raises one obvious question: If we are asking for the original document, what good is it if we don’t speak the language?

The answer is experience. Credential evaluators see academic documents from many countries and educational systems. After doing this work for many years, we become familiar with the diplomas, degree titles, terminology, formats, seals, dates, institutional names, and other features found on documents from many different countries.

That doesn’t mean we speak every language, or that we can translate entire diplomas ourselves. We don’t need to. We only need to be able to recognize the important information on the document and compare it with the translation we have been given.

So, while a translation is often necessary, it is not sufficient by itself for a credential evaluation!