Austria · False friend
Issued by a “Magistrat” — but not a magistrate
The Austrian municipal office was rendered as city administration, with the false friend documented in a note.
Read the caseMon–Sun · 8am–10pm ET · 15–30 min replies
Certified German Diploma Translation
Urkunde · Diplom · Magister
CertTranslate provides complete German-to-English diploma translations for WES, university admissions, professional licensing, and employment verification. Most 1–3 page orders are delivered within 24 hours, from $24.95 per physical page.
We preserve the original degree title, institution, seals, signatures, registry numbers, and layout. We do not assign a U.S. degree equivalency—that is the evaluator’s job.
Signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy
Accepted — or your money back
One physical page, with no word cap
Review and request corrections before certification
Your instant price
German → English1
any length · no word capone or more · PDF, image · up to 25 MB ea.
Your total$24.95
Acceptance guarantee · unlimited free revisions
Encrypted upload · total confirmed before payment · source files deleted 30 days after delivery
4.9/5 · 2,400+ reviews BBB Accredited A+ 240,000+ documents since 2014
What you receive
What will I receive with my certified diploma translation?
Your final package includes a copy of the source document, the complete English translation, and a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy. The certificate states that the translation is complete and accurate and that the translator is qualified to translate it.
- Original degree title kept without guessing a U.S. equivalency
- Every visible date, seal, signature, and registry entry translated or described
- Names checked against the passport and transcript you provide
- Formatting matched to the original for line-by-line review
- Translated by a professional German translator and checked again
- Review the translation and request corrections before certification
Get my certified diploma translation
Files checked and total confirmed before payment
Before you order
What should I upload with my German diploma?
Upload every academic page you have. We identify the Urkunde, the supplement, and system-specific records, then confirm the page count, price, and delivery time before you pay.
01 · Always start here
Urkunde — front and back
The degree certificate with the Hochschulgrad, the university seal, and the rector’s signature. Upload both sides.
02 · Commonly reviewed with it
Diploma Supplement or Zeugnis
The Supplement carries ECTS detail; the Zeugnis or Prüfungszeugnis lists examinations. Evaluators read them beside the Urkunde.
03 · Depends on your track
Staatsexamen certificates or apostille pages
Law, medicine, and teaching qualify through the Staatsexamen — its certificates are part of the credential record.
Real German translation casework
Real German translation cases
Each case shows what was unusual, how we translated it, and what the evaluator or officer needed to see.
Germany · Historic record
Germany stopped issuing this record type in 2009
The discontinued Abstammungsurkunde was named and explained so a U.S. reviewer knows what it certifies.
Read the case
Germany · Name history
The Familienbuch merged the wife’s surname by law
The BGB combined-surname entry was translated with its legal basis, keeping Geburtsname and Ehename distinct.
Read the caseHow it works
How does German diploma translation work?
Upload your documents first. We confirm the pages, price, and delivery time before you pay. You can review the translation before we certify it.
- 01
Upload your diploma and related documents
Send a PDF, scan, or phone photo. Include the Urkunde, the Diploma Supplement or Zeugnis, and any Staatsexamen or apostille pages.
We confirm the pages, total, and delivery time before payment - 02
We translate and check every detail
Degree title, FH or university status, ECTS references, umlauts against the passport spelling, and every seal are checked against the source.
Professional German translator · separate quality check
- 03
Review and receive your certified translation
Request free corrections before certification. After approval, you receive the complete English translation and a signed, stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy.
24h standard · 12h Rush · 6h Super Rush
One physical page is billed once.
We do not split a dense page into two or three billed pages.
Certified price
$24.95/ page
Get my certified diploma translation
No payment until file review
Client reviews
What clients say about their diploma translations
4.9 / 52,400+ client reviews
Google Trustpilot Direct feedback
Friedrich R.
Boston, MA
“My Diplom-Ingenieur degree and Diploma Supplement needed WES evaluation. The original title was preserved exactly, with the pre-Bologna context clear.”
Germany · Diplom-Ingenieur + Supplement
WES evaluated it cleanly
Monika L.
Philadelphia, PA
“I had an Austrian Magister degree with a German-only Diploma Supplement. They handled both documents and kept the university wording intact.”
Austria · Magister degree
Both documents handled
Jan S.
Seattle, WA
“My ETH Zürich diploma was bilingual German and French with ECTS grading. Everything was translated and the grading kept as displayed.”
Switzerland · Bilingual ETH diploma
ECTS grading preserved
Country-specific diploma review
How do German diploma requirements differ by country?
A German Bologna degree, an Austrian Magister, and a Swiss bilingual award are structured differently. Choose the system where you studied to see what we check.
Urkunde · Diplom · Magister
Diploma Translation from Germany
Also issued with: Staatsexamen qualifies law, medicine, and teaching
- Degree system
- Bachelor · Master · pre-Bologna Diplom/Magister
- State track
- Staatsexamen — law, medicine, teaching
- Watch for
- FH vs Universität kept distinct
German credentials span Bologna Bachelor and Master degrees, the pre-Bologna Diplom and Magister, and the Staatsexamen state qualification — each with its own weight for an evaluator.
We keep every title as issued, preserve the Fachhochschule or Universität status of the issuer, and translate the Diploma Supplement in full when it is included.
Magister · Diplomingenieur
Austrian Diploma Translation
Also issued with: Austrian titles differ from German conventions
- Traditions
- Magister · Diplomingenieur
- Issuers
- Universities and Fachhochschulen
- Watch for
- Titles kept as issued
Austrian universities kept the Magister and Diplomingenieur traditions alongside Bologna degrees, and the title on the Urkunde is part of the credential.
We translate the award exactly as conferred and keep Austrian institutional wording distinct from German conventions.
Diplom · Bachelor · Master
Swiss Diploma Translation
Also issued with: Records are often bilingual or trilingual
- Records
- Often bilingual (German · French · Italian)
- Issuers
- Federal and cantonal institutions
- Watch for
- ECTS grading kept as displayed
Swiss diplomas may run German beside French or Italian, with ECTS grading and both federal and cantonal issuers in one set.
We translate every language column once, by meaning, and keep the grading exactly as the institution displays it.
Studied in another German-speaking system? These are the systems we see most often, but we translate German-language diplomas from every issuing institution.
Translate another German diplomaCompare page-based pricing
How much can a 250-word page cap add to your price?
A diploma may contain only a few words, but a transcript, registry page, or supplement can be dense. A provider with a 250-word cap may bill one physical page as two or three pages.
CertTranslate
$24.95 per physical page, regardless of word count
Typical capped provider
Re-counts the same document in 250-word billing units
Included here
Matched formatting, certification, and free corrections for objective errors
Your quote is based on physical pages. We confirm the page count and final total before payment.
Physical pages in your document
100 sparse600 dense
Typical — a diploma, registry page, or short supplement
CertTranslate$24.95
1 page × $24.95 — flat, no word cap
typical 250-word-cap provider$49.90
380 words ÷ 250 = 2 billed pages × $24.95
You keep $24.95 on this document.
Get your exact priceComparison estimate only, based on a 250-word page definition at a representative $24.95 per-page rate. Your final price depends on the actual document.
Frequent problems we correct
What can cause questions during credential review?
These four issues can make a diploma difficult to compare with the original. We check for each one before certification.
01
A Fachhochschule is rendered simply as “university”
How we handle it: We keep the FH status visible — a university of applied sciences is a different issuer class, and evaluators weigh it.
02
A pre-Bologna Diplom is forced into a U.S. equivalency
How we handle it: The Diplom and Magister stay as issued with their long-cycle context — the evaluator decides what they map to.
03
The Diploma Supplement is omitted from the set
How we handle it: We translate the Supplement in full — its ECTS and program detail is often exactly what the evaluator needs.
04
Umlauts and name spelling are not matched to the passport
How we handle it: We reconcile ä, ö, ü, and ß renderings with the passport spelling, so the packet reads as one person’s record.
If a field is unreadable, we do not guess. We ask for a clearer image or identify the limitation in a translator note.
Upload files for a free checkCertified diploma translation FAQ
German diploma translation questions, answered
Clear answers about WES, ECE, pre-Bologna degrees, the Supplement, price, delivery, notarization, and seals.
How much does a German diploma translation cost?+−
Certified German diploma translation starts at $24.95 per physical page. One physical page is billed once, even when it contains more than 250 words. We confirm the page count and total before payment.
How long does a German diploma translation take?+−
Most 1–3 page orders are delivered within 24 hours, included in the standard price. Twelve-hour Rush and six-hour Super Rush are also available. If the documents are longer or difficult to read, we confirm the delivery time before work begins.
Will WES accept my German diploma translation?+−
WES requires an exact, word-for-word English translation when a translation appears in your personal Required Documents list. We provide it with a signed and stamped Certificate of Translation Accuracy. WES makes the final decision. If it requests a translation-related correction, we revise it free; if the translation is still rejected for that reason, we refund the translation cost.
Does ECE require a certified diploma translation?+−
ECE uses different rules from WES. ECE offers a paid Translation Waiver and may accept a word-for-word translation prepared by the applicant when the waiver is not purchased. Check your ECE order before buying a separate translation.
Can you translate my German diploma and transcript together?+−
Yes. Translating the Urkunde and the transcript or Supplement together keeps the student name, institution, degree title, and course terminology consistent. Whether you need both depends on the evaluator. Upload every academic document you have, and we will identify which pages need translation before you pay.
Is diploma translation the same as credential evaluation?+−
No. CertTranslate translates the academic documents into English. WES, ECE, or another evaluator decides the U.S. equivalency of the degree. We preserve the original credential wording and do not invent a U.S. degree or GPA conversion.
How do you handle pre-Bologna degrees like Diplom or Magister?+−
We keep the title exactly as issued and describe its long-cycle structure, without asserting a U.S. equivalency. Evaluators treat the Diplom and Magister case by case, and the faithful label is what they need.
Is a Fachhochschule degree a university degree?+−
A Fachhochschule is a university of applied sciences — a distinct issuer class from a Universität. We keep the FH status visible on the translation, and the evaluator decides how it maps.
Should I upload the back, seals, stamps, and signatures?+−
Yes. Upload the front and back, including every seal, stamp, signature, registry entry, and attached apostille. We translate or describe every legible element that appears on the document.
Do I need a certified or notarized diploma translation?+−
A certified translation includes the translator’s signed statement that the translation is complete and accurate. Notarization only verifies the identity of the person signing that statement. Add notarization only when the organization receiving your diploma asks for it.
Is there a 250-word cap per page?+−
No. One physical page stays one billed page, even when the diploma, transcript, or supplement is unusually dense.
Evaluator reference
Common German degree titles
These descriptions show how each degree fits into its local education system. The evaluator—not the translator—decides its formal U.S. equivalency.
| Original degree | Place in local system | Typical duration | Translation note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor (B.A. / B.Sc. / B.Eng.) | Bologna first cycle | 3–4 years / 180–240 ECTS | Post-1999 first degree |
| Master (M.A. / M.Sc.) | Bologna second cycle | 1–2 years / 60–120 ECTS | University or FH master’s |
| Diplom / Magister | Pre-Bologna long degree | 4–6 years | Single long cycle — kept as issued, never converted |
| Staatsexamen | State examination | 5–6+ years | Law, medicine, teaching — a state qualification, not a standard degree |
| Doktor (Dr.) | Research doctorate | 3+ years | Highest academic award |
Document glossary
Common German diploma terms, explained
These terms explain why the certificate, supplement, and examination records may need to be translated as separate documents.
- Urkunde
- The degree certificate itself, conferring the Hochschulgrad under the university seal.
- Diplom / Magister
- Pre-Bologna long-cycle degrees; kept as issued, never converted.
- Staatsexamen
- The state examination qualifying law, medicine, and teaching — a qualification, not a standard degree.
- Fachhochschule (FH)
- University of applied sciences — a distinct issuer class the translation keeps visible.
- Diploma Supplement
- The ECTS-detailed program record that evaluators read beside the Urkunde.
Common destinations
Where can you use a certified diploma translation?
The documents you need depend on where you are submitting the translation. These examples show what each reviewer checks and what people commonly send with a diploma.
WES / ECE
Credential evaluation
Evaluators compare the English diploma with the original and usually review the transcript in the same file.
Commonly sent
Urkunde + Diploma Supplement + transcript
University
Admissions
Admissions teams use the translation to confirm your degree, field, institution, and graduation date.
Commonly sent
Diploma + transcript or academic supplement
Licensing
Professional board
Nursing, engineering, teaching, and other boards may need both the academic award and professional registration.
Commonly sent
Diploma + Staatsexamen certificates where relevant
Employer / I-140
Employment verification
An employer or immigration counsel may use the credential to document the degree claimed for the role or petition.
Commonly sent
Diploma + any evidence named in the request
Not sure which path applies to your diploma?
Upload your diploma and any related academic documents. We’ll confirm which pages need translation, the price, and the delivery time before you pay.
Reference library
Helpful pages and official sources
Sources verified .
More from CertTranslate
Ready when you are
Upload your German diploma. We’ll check the rest before you pay.
Include the Diploma Supplement, the Zeugnis, and any Staatsexamen or apostille pages. We’ll confirm the pages, price, and delivery time before you pay.
Get my certified diploma translation
No payment until file review