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Certificate translations - English German translator for diplomas, references and transcripts

Certified translation › Certificates & diplomas

Certified certificate & diploma translation for recognition in Switzerland.

Certificate and diploma translation for recognition in Switzerland covers school and university certificates, transcripts of records and employer references, rendered and certified by a qualified translator for swissuniversities, SERI or ENIC-NARIC and Swiss authorities, with notarisation where the receiving body requires it. Grades and titles are preserved exactly. Binding fixed price from CHF 89, certification and shipping included.

  • Employment & schoolMatura, degrees
  • Notarisedfor authorities
  • Grades mappedsystem explained
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Qualified translator (with notarial certification) · certification accepted across Switzerland · degrees kept in the original, grades never converted · DIN EN ISO 17100

DIN EN ISO 17100certified · Reg. 7U517
over 70 languagesnative professional translators
Price up frontbinding fixed price
ConfidentialGDPR-compliant · NDA on request

Certified school report translations

Certificates translated correctly — and rendered, not re-graded.

Specialist-reviewed · FÜD editorial team · kept current

Whether for a job application, a study place or professional recognition in Switzerland, foreign certificates are almost always required as a certified translation. This is prepared by a qualified translator, with any required certification or notarisation handled for the intended Swiss receiving authority, so the version counts as a certified translation and is accepted across Switzerland by authorities, universities and employers.

Certificates are delicate because of their grading and education systems: we render grades, degrees and subjects accurately and traceably, without distorting an unfamiliar system — degrees stay in the original with an explanatory equivalent where helpful. For professional recognition in Switzerland, the certificate translation fits your diplomas and civil-status documents from a single source.

Certificate types

Which certificates we translate and certify.

School

  • School leaving certificates
  • High-school diplomas / A-levels
  • Final-year reports

University

  • Bachelor's & master's degrees
  • Diploma supplement
  • Transcripts of records

Professional

  • Employer references (Arbeitszeugnis)
  • Vocational-training certificates
  • Continuing-education records

Purpose

  • Application in Switzerland
  • Study & admission
  • Professional recognition

Certified German translation

Which certificate for what — and what the receiving body wants.

For use with an authority, university or employer in Switzerland, what counts is the certified translation — and the correct handling of grades and degrees, kept in the original rather than re-graded.

Certificate type, purpose and what matters for its certified translation
CertificatePurposeWhat matters
School / high-school certificateStudy or admission in SwitzerlandCertified translation; grading scale explained, not converted
University degree / diplomaProfessional recognition, swissuniversities / SERI evaluationExact terminology; equivalence assessed via swissuniversities (Swiss ENIC) / SERI, not by the translator
Employer reference (Arbeitszeugnis)Application in SwitzerlandCoded reference language rendered by sense, not word for word
Vocational / professional certificateRegulated professionsCertified by a qualified translator
Process & recognitionDIN EN ISO 17100 (Reg. 7U517)Professional translator + revision; recognition is decided by the competent body

The certified translation is the first step; over equivalence and recognition the competent body decides — for higher-education degrees swissuniversities, for regulated professions SERI, supported by the ENIC-NARIC network.

What really counts

Eight pitfalls where certificate translations fail.

A certificate is not running text but a compressed evaluation document. Most rejected translations fail not on vocabulary but on these eight points — each of which can delay an application or a recognition procedure.

Common pitfalls in certificate translation, what goes wrong and how the FÜD handles them
PitfallWhat goes wrongHow the FÜD handles it
Trying to "convert" gradesA Swiss 5.5 is unilaterally turned into an "A". This creates false precision and can jeopardise recognition.The grade stays in the original, with a neutral note on the grading scale. The FÜD leaves the classification to the competent body.
Assuming degree equivalenceA diploma passed off as a "master's", or a Bachelor or A-level equated with a Swiss qualification — suggesting an equivalence only the evaluation body may establish.The original designation is kept, with an explanatory note where helpful — never an equation.
Subject & module namesTerms such as "Leistungskurs", "Staatsexamen" or module titles translated too literally or too freely — leaving them unclear or misleading.An established target-language equivalent, otherwise the original kept plus an explanation — consistent across all documents.
Reference language in an employer referenceCoded ratings translated word for word — so the actual rating, positive or negative, is lost or flips into its opposite.A specialist recognises the coded rating and renders it by sense into the target culture and its reference-letter conventions.
Opposed grading scales by countryIn Switzerland the top grade is 6; Germany's scale runs the other way round, and GPA or ECTS scales differ again. Without context the body can misread a good grade as a poor one.The grading key or scale is supplied as a note — explanatory, not converting.
Certification missing or in the wrong formA university admissions office or recognition body requires a certified translation; the simple version is rejected.A qualified translator, with notarisation where required by the intended Swiss receiving authority with certification statement; we clarify the required form (original, certified copy, scan) in advance.
Inconsistent spelling of names & institutionsName or institution transliterated differently across certificate, diploma and CV — prompting queries from authorities.One consistent spelling across the whole document set when everything is translated from a single source.
Confusing the apostille with the translationExpecting the translator to handle "everything including the apostille" — which no translation office issues.The apostille is issued by the competent authority, not by FÜD. We advise whether one is needed and deliver a recognition-ready translation.

The one rule behind it

The translator renders; the translator does not evaluate. Anything that looks like conversion or equation belongs not in the translation but in the recognition procedure — where the competent body decides. Keeping that line clean is the real specialist job.

One grade misjudged — and the application no longer holds.

That is why: a qualified translator, with notarisation where required by the intended Swiss receiving authority, grades rendered faithfully and a certification statement.

Recognition of foreign qualifications

Translation is not grade conversion — and not the recognition decision.

Specialist-reviewed · FÜD editorial team · kept current

What the qualified translator does. The translator renders grades, subjects and degrees faithfully to the original and adds an explanatory note where helpful — but does not convert grades into an unfamiliar system. A degree title stays in the original (for example Diplom-Ingenieur or Magister), with an explanatory equivalent rather than a substitute, so no equivalence is implied that only the evaluation body may establish.

What the competent body decides. The actual evaluation and classification is made by the competent body. For higher-education degrees this is swissuniversities, through its Swiss ENIC office, which issues a level confirmation on foreign university diplomas; for regulated professions the competent body is SERI (the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation), and the ENIC-NARIC network is the corresponding international point of contact for credential evaluation.

Why this speeds recognition up. The FÜD supplies a certified translation that fits the evaluation — on request together with the diploma supplement and transcript of records, so the body has everything it needs for recognition. Each certified page carries the translator's certification statement confirming completeness and accuracy.

From translation practice

The hidden code in a Swiss reference — why literal is wrong here.

Specialist-reviewed · FÜD editorial team · kept current

A Swiss employer reference (Arbeitszeugnis) must be worded benevolently — yet it still grades. This contradiction is resolved by the so-called reference language: friendly-sounding standard formulas whose gradation carries the actual mark. Translate such sentences word for word and you save the words but lose the rating.

A specialist therefore reads the grade behind the phrasing first, then renders that rating in the tone the target culture expects. In English-speaking practice this is often not a "Zeugnis" at all, but a reference letter of an entirely different convention.

Examples of Swiss reference language and its actual rating
Swiss standard phraseActual rating
“…stets zu unserer vollsten Zufriedenheit” (always to our fullest satisfaction)very good
“…zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit” (to our full satisfaction)satisfactory
“…bemühte sich, den Anforderungen gerecht zu werden” (endeavoured to meet the requirements)unsatisfactory

The FÜD invents nothing: the translation stays true to the rating built into the original — it only makes it legible in the target language instead of burying it in formulaic German.

Use cases

Three typical paths — and the delicate point in each.

Which certificate, which purpose, which stumbling block: the three most common occasions for a certified certificate translation at a glance.

School · high school

High-school certificate for study in Switzerland

Starting point
Application to a Swiss university — a school leaving certificate with a transcript, submitted directly to the university's admissions office.
The delicate point
A foreign grading scale has no 1:1 equivalent in the Swiss 1–6 system, and subject labels rarely map cleanly across systems.
What the FÜD delivers
A certified translation with the grading scale as an explanatory note, without converting — matched to your diplomas.

University · profession

University degree for recognition

Starting point
A degree earned abroad is to be recognised in Switzerland — via the swissuniversities (Swiss ENIC) evaluation, the SERI recognition procedure, or the relevant chamber.
The delicate point
Diploma and Bachelor designations, diploma supplement and module names must not suggest equivalence — that is for the body to decide.
What the FÜD delivers
A professional translation with consistent terminology as a complete set for the procedure; the evaluation is made by swissuniversities and SERI.

Profession · application

Employer reference for an application in Switzerland

Starting point
An international application supported by a qualified employer reference that should evidence prior performance.
The delicate point
The coded reference language: translated literally, the rating is lost — and many countries do not know the format.
What the FÜD delivers
A specialist renders the rating by sense and in the right tone — on request aligned with your CV / résumé for one consistent set.

What a German translation costs

What a certificate translation costs.

Two billing routes, depending on the document: a single certificate (one to two pages) usually runs on a flat fixed price. Extensive documents — diploma supplement, multi-year transcripts — are billed by standard line from CHF 1.09. After a brief review we name the binding price.

Binding fixed price
from CHF 1.09 / standard linecertified translation · everything included
Price up front · no unannounced extra costs
Certified professional translation✓included
Certification statement✓included
PDF sent in advance✓included
Postal dispatch of the original✓included
Quality assurance & final check✓included

A standard line is 55 characters incl. spaces; a rush surcharge applies only for the 24-hour express, otherwise no unannounced extra costs — VAT included. How the price is made up →

Upload certificate & get a fixed price

FAQ

Certificate translation — frequently asked questions.

Does a certificate have to be formally certified?

For applications, university admission and professional recognition, the receiving body may require a certified translation in a specific form. The requirement depends on the intended Swiss authority and applicable cantonal practice; for private use a simple translation often suffices.

Do you convert my grades into the Swiss grading system?

No. The translator renders each grade faithfully and, where helpful, adds a neutral note on the grading scale — Switzerland grades 6 as best and 1 as worst. Conversion and classification are done by the competent body — for higher-education degrees swissuniversities (Swiss ENIC), for regulated professions SERI, and the ENIC-NARIC network internationally.

Do you translate the coded wording in a Swiss employer reference?

Yes. A Swiss Arbeitszeugnis encodes the actual rating in seemingly benevolent standard phrases. A specialist recognises the true rating and renders it by sense into the target language and its reference-letter conventions, instead of translating it word for word and thereby distorting it.

Will the translation be recognised in Switzerland and abroad?

Acceptance depends on the requirements of the intended authority, university or employer; FÜD checks the required form before the assignment. Some foreign procedures additionally require an apostille, which is issued by the competent authority — not by FÜD. We advise whether one is needed.

Do you handle the recognition of my qualifications?

The recognition itself is decided by the competent body — for example the swissuniversities (Swiss ENIC) evaluation, SERI for regulated professions, or the relevant chamber. We deliver the certified translation it requires, in the correct form and on time, so nothing is missing from your file.

What does a certified certificate translation cost?

Single certificates are usually translated at a flat fixed price; extensive documents such as transcripts of records are billed by standard line from CHF 1.09. Certification and delivery are included — we name the exact price after a brief review; VAT included. How the price is made up →
My degree and transcript were translated with the titles kept in the original and the grading scale explained — not re-graded. swissuniversities accepted the file without a single query, and the recognition went through on the first attempt.
★★★★★

Engineer from abroad · degree recognition · swissuniversities evaluation

Next

Where to go next: services, fields, documents and languages.

Services

Conference interpretingProofreading & editingWebsite translationScientific translationdocument translation

Specialist fields

Financial translationUser manual translationMedical device translationAutomotive translator

Documents

Marriage certificate translationDivorce certificate translationDegree recognitionTranslate contracts

Languages

English to German translationCroatian translationAlbanian–German translationKorean–German translation

Work with us

A native speaker who knows education systems? Translate certificates for recognition.

If you grew up bilingual, the language is not the hurdle — the systems are. To certify certificates for Swiss authorities you need authorisation by a Swiss authority under Swiss certification and notarisation practice, German at C2 level, and a firm grip on grading scales, degree titles and recognition procedures. We work continually with qualified translators, employed or freelance.

The path

Court authorisation, plus education-system fluency

A second native language is your starting capital; the market rewards what you build on top. Authorisation under Swiss certification and notarisation practice, and German at C2 — the level at which you read a diploma supplement or a Swiss employer reference without hesitation — are the real gate. Add a working knowledge of grading scales, degree titles and how swissuniversities, SERI and ENIC-NARIC actually classify a qualification. That combination, not language alone, is what a recognition file relies on.

Why it holds up

Judgement, and the expertise behind it

Certificates are exactly where a specialist earns their place: the line between rendering and re-grading, coded reference language, degree titles that must not imply equivalence, and grading scales read backwards across borders are where precision prevents the errors that would otherwise cause rejection. A person who keeps that line clean — and signs the certification statement — is what makes a translation recognition-ready.

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