High school certificate (attestat) translation
Certified, notarized English translation of school certificates from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the former USSR — the certificate itself and the supplement with every subject and grade.
Which school certificate do you have?
In Russia, Ukraine and most former Soviet countries, school ends with one of two certificates — and older Soviet ones follow a slightly different count of years.
Basic general education
Аттестат об основном общем образовании
Свідоцтво про базову загальну середню освіту
Issued after nine years of school. Students then either stay for grades 10–11 or move on to a college or technical school.
We translate it as: Certificate of Basic General Education
Secondary general education
Аттестат о среднем общем образовании
Атестат про повну загальну середню освіту
The full school-leaving certificate — the document U.S. colleges and evaluators usually ask for when they want proof of high school completion.
We translate it as: Certificate of Secondary (Complete) General Education
Soviet certificates
Аттестат о среднем образовании
Свидетельство о восьмилетнем образовании
For most of the Soviet period, full secondary school took 10 years, and incomplete secondary ended after grade 8. We keep the original title and wording, exactly as issued.
We translate it as: Certificate of Secondary Education
Every certificate comes with a supplement (приложение / додаток) listing each subject and the final grade. The certificate is not valid without it, so we always translate both.
A “4” doesn't mean the same thing everywhere
School grading scales differ from country to country — and from the American A–F. We translate every grade exactly as written and add its meaning in brackets, for example 4 (good), so the reader never has to guess the scale.
5-point scale
Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the USSR
- 5excellent
- 4good
- 3satisfactory
- 2unsatisfactory
12-point scale
Ukraine
- 10–12high
- 7–9sufficient
- 4–6average
- 1–3initial
10-point scale
Belarus, Moldova
- 10highest grade
- 1lowest grade
The lowest passing grade differs between Belarus and Moldova — another reason we translate grades exactly as written.
What about a U.S. GPA? Converting grades to a GPA or to a U.S. grade level is done by the credential evaluator (WES, ECE and others) or by the school itself — not by the translator. Our job is to make sure every subject and grade is translated completely and consistently. See also how we translate Russian and Ukrainian degrees.
What your translation will look like
We have translated more than 500 school certificates since 2007. Here are three of them — names and numbers replaced with sample data.
Every subject, in the original order
Subjects are listed exactly as on the supplement, so the translation can be checked line by line against the original.
Grades with their meaning
“4 (good)”, “seven” — numbers are kept as written and the scale is made clear, whatever the country.
Subject names that make sense in English
“Algebra and beginnings of analysis”, “Fundamentals of life safety”, “World art culture” — consistent names that evaluators recognize.
Blank lines stay blank
Unused rows and empty fields are marked as they appear (“Z”, “—”), so nothing looks left out.
Series, number and school
The certificate number, the full name of the school and the issuing authority are copied exactly — they are what an evaluator verifies.
Who asks for a translated school certificate
Colleges and credential evaluation
Community colleges and universities usually want proof of high school completion. Many send you to an evaluation agency such as WES or ECE first — our translations meet the published requirements of WES, ECE, IERF and other NACES members.
Enrolling a child in a U.S. school
A translated certificate after grade 9 — or the latest grade sheet — helps the school place your child in the right grade and give credit for courses already taken.
Jobs, training and licenses
Employers, apprenticeship and training programs, and licensing boards often ask for proof of high school education before anything else.
Immigration
Some immigration cases ask for evidence of education. Like any foreign-language document, a school certificate submitted to USCIS needs a full certified English translation.
Applying to a U.S. college or university? Ask about translations first. Every school sets its own rules. Before you order, check with the admissions office — or the evaluation agency it works with — whether the translation must be certified or also notarized, whether they accept a translation from a professional translation company, and whether it should be uploaded as a PDF, mailed on paper or sent directly to them. Send us their instructions and we'll prepare the translation exactly the way they ask, so there are no surprises later.
How much does it cost?
School certificates are priced from $35 per document. The final price depends on how many pages the certificate and its supplement take — send us a scan and we'll confirm the exact amount before you pay.
Translations are usually ready in 1–2 days, weekends included. Applying to college and need your diploma too? See diploma and transcript translation.
Russian, Ukrainian and other former Soviet school certificates → English. Exact price confirmed after we see the scan.
- Certificate and grade supplement
- Certified and notarized
- PDF by email in 1–2 days
- Hard copy by mail: Regular USPS +$13, Priority +$18, Priority Express +$39
Send us the English spelling of every name
With your documents, please send the last name, first name and patronymic of every person in them — exactly as spelled in your U.S. documents or foreign passport (Green Card, Social Security card, visa). This keeps your translation consistent with everything else you file. If a name has no English spelling yet, we'll transliterate it by standard rules.
The patronymic stays in
Many clients don't use a patronymic in the U.S. and ask us to leave it out. We can't: a certified translation must be complete and match the original, so if the document shows a patronymic (Sergeyevich, Ivanovna), the translation shows it too. This does not cause problems — officers expect it on documents from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.
Qualified linguists, not a translation app
Since 2007 we have translated more than 12,000 Russian and Ukrainian documents — over 30,000 pages — and not one of our translations has ever been rejected by USCIS.
Never rejected by USCIS
Every translation comes with a signed certificate of accuracy that meets USCIS translation requirements.
Court-certified interpreters
Our team includes California court-certified interpreters and Washington State certified translators.
Degreed linguists
Every translator holds a university degree in linguistics or foreign-language teaching.
Notarized at no extra cost
Accepted by USCIS, NVC, WES, ECE, U.S. courts, SSA, DMV, schools and employers.
Do I need an ATA-certified translator? No. USCIS, the NVC, WES, ECE and U.S. courts do not require ATA certification for document translations. They require a complete, accurate English translation with a signed statement that the translator is competent to translate — which is exactly what we provide.
School certificate translation questions
Do I need to translate the supplement with grades?
Yes. The supplement is part of the certificate — the document itself says it is not valid without it — and colleges and evaluators look at the grades first.
Will WES or ECE accept your translation?
Our certified translations meet the published translation requirements of WES, ECE and other NACES members: complete, word-for-word, in the same layout as the original. Some evaluators also want the documents themselves sent directly by your school — check their instructions for your country.
Can you convert my grades to a U.S. GPA?
No — and no translator should. GPA conversion is done by the credential evaluator or the school. We translate each grade exactly as written, with its meaning, so the conversion is accurate.
My certificate is Soviet, with 10 years of school. Is that a problem?
Not for the translation. We translate the Soviet certificate as it is; how the 10-year school compares to U.S. high school is decided by the evaluator.
My child hasn't finished school. What should we translate?
Usually the certificate after grade 9, if there is one, or the latest report card or grade sheet issued by the school. Send us what you have and we'll tell you what's worth translating.
I lost my school certificate. What can I do?
Schools and education authorities can usually issue a duplicate. We translate duplicates too — and we can help you get documents from Russia.
How fast can I get it?
Usually in 1–2 days as a PDF by email, weekends included. Paper copies with wet signatures and stamps go out by USPS.
What our customers say
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