How do you translate a transcript that writes grades as words on a 0-to-20 scale?
TL;DRA Peruvian Certificado de Estudios from Universidad Peruana Los Andes recorded every grade as a Spanish word — ONCE, DOCE, DIECIOCHO — on Peru's 0-to-20 vigesimal scale, with a Convalidado (validated-credit) column across two numbered sheets. We rendered each grade as the English word plus its numeral, explained the scale and the 11/20 pass mark, and kept both sheets complete. The certified Spanish-to-English translation was delivered for the client's USCIS filing.
Case Specifications
- Document
- Academic transcript
- Foreign Name
- Certificado de Estudios
- Country
- Peru
- Languages
- Spanish → English
- Submitted To
- USCIS
What We Received
A client submitted a Peruvian Certificado de Estudios for a Human Medicine program. It was issued by Universidad Peruana Los Andes in Huancayo. The certified [Spanish medical transcript translation](/translate/spanish-transcript) was needed for the client's USCIS filing.
The document is two numbered sheets. The fronts hold the grade table; the reverse of each repeats the same three signatures and three notes. Together the sheets list 48 graded courses.
The grade column is the unusual part. It does not show numbers. Each mark is written as a Spanish word — ONCE, DOCE, TRECE, up to DIECIOCHO.
Why This Required Special Handling
Peru grades on a vigesimal scale: zero to twenty, with eleven as the minimum passing mark. The transcript states this on its reverse. A U.S. reader who sees the word "ONCE" has no way to know it means the number 11.
Two more features complicate the read. A "Convalidado" column marks courses whose credits were recognized or transferred. The grades sit under a faint security watermark that partly hides the cycle column.
Completeness matters as much as the marks. The record spans two sheets, and a credential evaluator or a U.S. reader needs both. Our [Spanish transcript translation guide](/guides/spanish-transcript-translation-guide) covers how foreign grading scales are read; the translator's job is to carry the marks and the scale faithfully, not to convert them to a U.S. GPA.
How We Handled It
We rendered each grade as the English word followed by its numeral. "DOCE" became "Twelve (12)"; "DIECIOCHO" became "Eighteen (18)." The word preserves the original; the numeral makes the value unambiguous for a U.S. reader.
We then added a Translator's Note explaining the vigesimal scale and the 11/20 pass mark, which the document itself states. The Convalidado column was rendered "Validated," with "Yes" on the flagged rows. Both sheets were kept in one certified translation, so no graded course was dropped.
We did not over-claim what the scan showed. The faint cycle column was transcribed to the best of ability, with the limitation noted. Several faint dates carry a 5-versus-6 year-digit ambiguity, flagged in a note rather than presented as certain.
"Grades in the original are written out in words in the NOTA (Grade) column. They are rendered here as the English word followed by the numeral in parentheses. Grading is on Peru's vigesimal scale (0-20); the minimum passing grade is eleven (11), as stated on the reverse of the certificate. 'Convalidado' (rendered 'Validated') denotes courses whose credits were recognized or transferred. The Cycle/Semester column is faint and partly obscured by the security watermark; values are transcribed to the best of ability, consistent with the courses' sequential ordering."
Smaller decisions matched the diploma from the same order. Each DD/MM/YYYY date was rendered as Month DD, YYYY to remove the DD/MM versus MM/DD ambiguity. The illegible handwritten signatures were marked "[Illegible signature]" rather than given invented names. The holder's name, the student code, and the certificate numbers were redacted in the case image and kept out of the body copy.
The Outcome
The complete two-sheet certified translation was delivered for the client's USCIS filing. Every grade carried both its English word and its numeral, and the vigesimal scale was explained on the certification page.
A foreign medical transcript usually travels onward for [credential evaluation](/immigration/credential-evaluation) after the immigration step. A translation that already states the grading scale and keeps both sheets complete needs no rework for that later reader.
What This Means for You
If your transcript writes grades as words on a 0-to-20 scale, the marks are not missing data — they are a national grading convention. A certified translation that renders each grade as the English word plus its numeral, explains the scale, and keeps every sheet complete lets a U.S. reader or credential evaluator read the record correctly the first time.
Have a similar situation?
We translate foreign academic transcripts with word-grades, vigesimal and other foreign scales explained, validated-credit columns, and multi-sheet completeness, ready for USCIS and credential evaluators.
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Sources & References
- Meet Translation Requirements·USCIS·Verified 2026-06-19
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