Degree Certificate Translation.
Professional translation of university degree certificates for SAQA evaluation, employment, professional registration, further study, immigration and official use in South Africa and abroad.
A translation renders the qualification document in another language. It is not a SAQA evaluation, and it does not decide that your degree is equivalent to a particular South African qualification.
Degree certificates we translate.
Premium Lingua translates the degree certificate itself, in the form the university issued it. The translation is prepared from the document supplied.
- Bachelor’s degree certificates
- Honours degree certificates
- Master’s degree certificates
- Doctoral and PhD certificates
- Postgraduate qualification certificates
- Foreign university degree certificates
- Final graduation certificates
- Confirmation-of-completion letters, where the final certificate has not yet been issued
SAQA accepts a final graduation certificate or a confirmation-of-completion letter in its foreign qualification evaluation process. If you only hold a confirmation letter for now, we can translate that and the final certificate later.
Send your degree certificateWhat information is translated?
The translation reflects the information on the source certificate so that the receiving institution or authority can read and compare it with the original. Depending on the certificate, this may include:
- The graduate’s full name
- The university or institution name
- The qualification title
- The degree type
- The field of study
- The faculty
- Honours or distinction wording where present
- The date awarded
- Conferral wording
- Registrar or Vice-Chancellor details
- Signatures
- Official seals
- Stamps
- Endorsements
For PhD certificates, SAQA expects the field of study to be clearly stated. Where the certificate does not state it, SAQA may ask for additional information such as the thesis title or abstract for its evaluation. If you have those, send them with the certificate.
Degree titles and fields of study.
Degree terminology varies widely between countries and institutions. The same word can name qualifications at different levels in different education systems.
The translation preserves the official qualification title as it appears on the certificate, rather than replacing it with a supposedly equivalent South African degree. Whether a foreign degree is comparable to a particular South African qualification is a matter for evaluation, not for the translator.
Degree certificate translation for SAQA evaluation.
SAQA evaluates foreign qualifications in South Africa so they can be compared with qualifications on the South African National Qualifications Framework.
Where a certificate is in a language other than English, SAQA requires a sworn English translation, and it requires both the original-language document and the translation to be submitted together.
Translation is not the same as SAQA evaluation. Premium Lingua translates the qualification document. SAQA determines how the foreign qualification compares within the NQF. Tell us the documents are for SAQA when you request your quote.
Sworn TranslationDegree certificate vs academic transcript.
Degree certificate
Confirms that a qualification was awarded. It names the graduate, the qualification and the institution, and carries the conferral wording, signatures and seal.
Academic transcript
Shows the subjects and modules, the grades and marks, the credits and the academic history behind the qualification.
Many applications need both documents translated. See Academic Transcript Translation.
When is degree certificate translation commonly needed?
SAQA foreign qualification evaluation
A sworn English translation is required where the certificate is not in English, submitted with the original.
Employment in South Africa
Employers may ask for a translated degree certificate, often together with a SAQA evaluation.
Professional registration
Regulators may require the translated qualification document as part of registration.
Postgraduate or university admission
Admissions offices may need a translated certificate to confirm the qualification held.
Work permits and immigration
Skilled and critical-skills routes may call for a translated degree certificate as supporting evidence.
Academic appointments
Universities appointing staff trained abroad may require the qualification document translated.
Foreign employment applications
An employer abroad may request a translated South African degree certificate.
Overseas professional licensing
A foreign licensing body may need the qualification document in its own language.
South African government guidance notes that foreign qualifications may need SAQA evaluation for work, study and professional practice in South Africa. Tell us where the certificate will be submitted when requesting your quote.
Foreign degree certificate translation for South Africa.
The usual path for a foreign degree used in South Africa is: the certificate, then a sworn English translation where the document is not in English, then a SAQA evaluation, then submission to the employer, institution or professional body.
SAQA requires certificates in foreign languages to be accompanied by sworn translations into English, and it requires both the original and the translated document. Send the complete certificate, tell us it is for a South African process and whether SAQA is involved, and we will prepare the translation in the form SAQA expects.
Sworn TranslationSouth African degree certificates for use abroad.
DIRCO does not directly authenticate original qualification certificates or diplomas. For a completed South African tertiary qualification, SAQA must first verify the qualification before the relevant documentation proceeds to DIRCO for authentication or legalisation.
Translation and verification or legalisation are separate processes. Depending on its own requirements, a destination authority may ask for some combination of the degree certificate, the transcript, a SAQA verification, a translation, and an Apostille or authentication.
Tell us where the degree will be used and which documents are involved, and we will prepare the translation to fit that process.
Degree translation vs SAQA verification.
Degree translation
Changes the language of the qualification document so the receiving authority can read it.
SAQA verification
Confirms a completed South African tertiary qualification, which DIRCO requires before a degree is submitted for legalisation.
Premium Lingua provides the translation. It does not carry out the SAQA verification or the DIRCO authentication.
Degree translation vs Apostille or legalisation.
A translation changes the language of the certificate. Verification and legalisation deal with the authenticity and official status of the qualification, or of the verification documentation, for international use.
Depending on the destination and receiving authority, you may need a translation, a verification, a legalisation, some combination of these, or none. Confirm the requirements, and the order they must be done in, before submission.
Degree names should not be “converted”.
A foreign qualification might be titled “Licenciatura”, “Diplôme d’Ingénieur”, “Magister”, “Maîtrise”, “Doktor” or another country-specific title.
The translator renders the title accurately and, where helpful, explains its literal meaning, while avoiding an unsupported claim that it is automatically equivalent to a specific South African degree. Equivalence is an evaluation question, not a translation decision, and treating it as one can undermine an application.
What should you send us?
- The complete degree certificate
- The reverse side, if it carries information
- The academic transcript, if that also needs translation
- The source language
- The language you need it translated into
- The institution or authority receiving it
- Whether it is for SAQA
- Any sworn or certification requirements
- Your deadline
If the final degree certificate has not yet been issued, tell us whether you have an official confirmation-of-completion letter. SAQA recognises such letters in applicable circumstances, and we can translate the letter now and the certificate later.
Send your degree certificate for a quoteNeed your degree certificate translated?
Upload the complete certificate, and any confirmation-of-completion letter, and tell us where it will be submitted and whether it is for SAQA. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*)
