Step-by-step explanation
Lock one exact transcript source and one defined translation deliverable.
Record the displayed source title, issuing institution, country, issue or print date, record number or version when shown, page count, content-bearing sides, grading key and supplied attachments. Separately save the recipient, application stage and exact instruction that led to the translation request. The production brief should state which source pages the English file and any certification statement will cover. This identifies the work without deciding whether the record is official, current enough, complete for admission or acceptable to the recipient.
Original fictional example: Camila supplies a four-page “Historial Académico” from Universidad del Valle Azul, including a grading key on page 4, for an application-stage upload. The brief labels it Transcript T-1, covers pages 1–4 and records the separate recipient instruction; it does not call the student-uploaded scan an official transcript or an evaluation report.
01
Inventory every page, side, legend and attachment.
Count the complete transcript, content-bearing backs, continuation sheets, grading keys, abbreviation lists, diploma supplements and source-issued certification or authentication pages supplied with it. Preserve source order and record page labels, duplicates, replacement images, crops, redactions and missing material before quoting. Do not assume a blank-looking reverse has no scale, stamp, signature or limitation until it has been inspected at readable size.
Original fictional example: the front of page 2 ends with “Continúa al reverso,” and the back contains the final six courses plus the grading legend. Both sides enter scope; the quote does not count only the photographed fronts.
02
Map the institution, student and record identifiers.
Capture the institution, campus, faculty, school, program and issuing office exactly as displayed, then map labels for the student name, student or enrollment number, identity reference, program, credential track, admission date, issue date and transcript or verification code. Keep institutional levels and student fields separate. Preserve visible spelling, accents, punctuation, masking and discrepancies; do not replace a transcript value silently with a passport, application or another academic record.
Original fictional example: the cover says “Facultad de Ciencias,” the issuing block says “Secretaría Académica” and the student appears as “José A. Núñez” while a note shows “Jose Antonio Nunez.” The translation preserves each displayed form and role without deciding identity or merging the offices.
03
Preserve academic periods and every course-row relationship.
Identify the hierarchy for academic year, semester, trimester, term, level, cycle or session and keep each course code, title, attempt, section, date and result under the correct headings. Recreate repeated headers, merged cells, continuation rows and subtotal boundaries closely enough to compare with the source. Translate course titles in context, but do not replace them with a U.S. catalog course, add an equivalency or collapse distinct source courses because their titles look similar.
Original fictional example: “Prácticas Profesionales II” wraps onto a second line just above the 2024-2 subtotal. The English table keeps the wrapped title in its original row and does not attach its grade to the next course after reformatting.
04
Reproduce grades, credits, hours, averages and legends as source values.
Keep every number, decimal, sign, denominator, unit label, qualitative grade, average, total and footnote marker tied to the correct row and source scale. Translate labels and documented legend terms consistently. Do not round, recalculate, repair an apparent source total, convert a decimal grade into A–F, turn local or ECTS credits into U.S. semester hours, calculate a GPA or decide how a university should evaluate the values. Flag an inconsistency for review instead of changing it.
Original fictional example: one term shows “Créditos cursados: 24,” “Créditos aprobados: 21” and “Promedio: 8,35/10.” The translation preserves all three labels and values; it does not change 8.35 into a U.S. GPA or explain why three credits were not earned.
05
Include statuses, distinctions, annotations, footnotes and uncertainty.
Translate every displayed course status, repeated-attempt marker, withdrawal, exemption, recognition, transfer notation, in-progress label, failed result, distinction, disciplinary or administrative note, legend, footer and marginal annotation in its source context. Preserve its connection to the affected course, term or record. When text is genuinely unreadable, use the project notation for uncertainty; do not infer a favorable status, omit an unfavorable entry or interpret the academic effect.
Original fictional example: an asterisk beside BIO-118 points to “Asignatura convalidada; no computa en el promedio.” The English version carries the marker and full note. It does not delete the row, count it in a new average or state that a U.S. university will award transfer credit.
06
Account for seals, stamps, signatures and verification blocks.
Translate legible wording in institutional seals, registrar stamps, certifications and verification instructions, and describe non-text elements consistently in their page and field positions. Keep printed names, roles, dates and signature labels connected. Do not recreate a seal or signature, decode a private or unstable code, validate a website, claim that a mark authenticates the transcript or treat a missing signature as proof that the source is invalid.
Original fictional example: the last page contains a registrar name, a handwritten signature, a round embossed seal and a QR label. The delivery translates the printed role and QR instruction and marks “[Signature]” and “[Embossed seal]”; it does not copy the signature or claim that the code was validated.
07
Run row-level, page-level and delivery-level bilingual QA.
Compare every source page with the English output for institution and student fields, dates, identifiers, period headings, course codes and titles, grades, credits, hours, averages, totals, legends, notes, marks and page order. Verify that no row shifted columns during formatting and that every source page maps to the delivery manifest. Match any certification statement to the exact source and translation it covers. Record remaining source limitations without asserting equivalency, authenticity, official status or acceptance.
Original fictional example: bilingual QA finds that the grade “7,8” moved from ECO-202 to ECO-203 when a long course title wrapped. The reviewer restores the source relationship and rechecks the term subtotal before the certification is finalized; no grade is reinterpreted.