The significance of translation in the education system of UAE
UAE has a broad sphere of diverse expatriates, whereby families come to work and study in UAE and other related reasons to seek better opportunities. Consequently, the education system of the UAE would be required to host students who migrate to different curriculums such as British, American, Indian, Pakistani among others. An important element of this procedure is the production of a genuine School Transfer Certificate (TC) that checks the student attendance, performance and the year of its completion prior to coming to the UAE.
Most of these documents however are being issued in languages other than English and the Arabic language, may be in the French language, the German language, the Urdu language, the Hindi language, the Russian language or even the Mandarin language. A translated version of TC, by a professional is made binding in these circumstances. Only TCs that are in English or properly translated into English or Arabic will be accepted by schools throughout the Emirates, particularly those regulated by KHDA in Dubai, ADEK in Abu Dhabi and the UAE Ministry of Education. Even a perfectly sound certificate can be forged unless a proper translation has been carried out, which will create delays in student admission or cause the latter to be placed in the wrong group.
Who May Translate a School Transfer Certificate in the UAE?
It is not every translator that can be used to deal with official documents on behalf of the UAE authorities in relation to schools. Indeed, the government is only willing to accept translations that were done by those licensed and approved translators at the UAE Ministry of Justice. These practitioners are subjected to a challenging certification procedure which encompasses testing of their language skills and legal translation course work. After the license is obtained they can produce sworn or certified translation which is admissible in the ministries across the UAE, the embassies, and public and also private schools.
A translated document with a legal status should be provided with an official stamp of a translator, his/her signature, and license number. In many cases, additionally contains statements of accuracy. Certain cases might have to be further checked by notarization, depending on the receiving school terms or on the emirate terms. So, it will not be enough to activate freelance or informal translation services even when such services belong to people who know their languages. The document can only be accepted by authorities to be attested and compiled in schools when it is supplied by legal translators who are recognized by the authority of UAE.
Translation and Attestation Process
Translation of a School Transfer Certificate is just one of the stages of a complex process aimed at the validation of the given document not only in the state of the student but also in the UAE. Firstly, the original certificate should be provided on the formal letterhead of the school and mention the full name of the student, date of birth as well as the last grade, passed together with the duration of studies. The education department in the country of origin or the board then signed the document and then it was signed by the ministry of foreign affairs of that country.
The document should be attested in the UAE embassy /consulate in the country where the certificate is issued before it is brought to the UAE. A certified translation into either Arabic or English has to be done prior to this embassy attestation process when the original certificate is not in one of these two languages. After the certificate and the translated one gets to the UAE, the two documents are then to be presented to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and get attested.
It is after this complete chain of verifications that the documents will be presented in the school to seek admission. The translation should be the same as the original in form and in substance such as names, dates, school stamps and signatures. The slight difference between the original and the translated result can render the document to be invalid. Hence, it is essential to pay detail to the process.
Issues Experienced by the Parents and How these can be Prevented
Most parents who initiate a school transfer do this in a belief that all they need is a mere translation but end up realizing that there are layers of requirements. Another most prevalent mistake is the use of unlicensed translators to perform the translation. The other common problem that may occur when translations are carried out following the attestation of the embassy process and in such a situation, the attestation becomes invalid, as the UAE officials want to include the translation in the chain right at the start.
Parents can neglect the necessity to get the original and the translated version attested as well, or they might get confused about the list of accepted languages in every emirate. Although it is possible to accept English only translated either in whole or in part, in other schools where there is government control the school might demand Arabic translations. Also, the translation can be requested to be notarised in UAE according to the source language and issuing country.
Pressure is also occasioned by the fact that school admissions are time-bound. Late translating/mistakes in the document may lead to the fact that students have to wait a term because of the missed deadlines of enrolling in that educational establishment. The main points to take into account in order to evade these difficulties are an early beginning of the process, knowledge of the peculiarities of the specific school and emirate, and cooperation only with the licensed legal translators, who know academic documents.
Paving the Way Easier to Families
As a way of ensuring a smooth transition, families are advised to carry out their plan way ahead before they relocate to the UAE. It implies that you need to produce the original Transfer Certificate as soon as you leave the former school and examine the document on its completeness and accuracy, as well as start a process of translation and attestation prior to coming to the UAE. Lots of parents choose to employ full-service translation and attestation companies operating in UAE because these companies are conversant with the regulations and are able to complete the process in totality.
These agencies usually liaise with translators, notaries, embassies and MOFA and hence reduce the red tape faced by the family.
The other feasible measure is to check with the admissions department in the desired school in the UAE prior to starting the translation. Requirements or even preferences of each school might differ slightly, as to the format, language of the Transfer Certificate, and the level of notarization. Being in accordance with such expectations at the initial stages will help to avoid the unnecessary process repetition.
Most schools are used to this process and in cities, such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, which have thousands of international students, clear guidelines can be presented. Nevertheless, it is the obligation of the parents in ensuring that any form of translation should be legally valid and any form of attestation should assure the right order. With the in-time proactiveness and attention to the details, families can make the educational process of their children in the UAE a success without the bureaucracy-related delays.
Final Thoughts
The translation of School Transfer Certificates is an essential part of the enrollment process with students who have firmed up their plans to come to the UAE and are transferring their schooling to the UAE. Since the country consists of the people belonging to different nationalities and the country is a multilingual country, having a varied education system, the government has laid strict regulations to safeguard the uniqueness of academic records, to standardize the process of a student acquiring admission through the different curricula. Although they might seem a bit complicated at the outset, the requirements are constructed in such a way that they guarantee transparency, any legal validity, and continuity of the academics.
When going through this process, parents should also be very vigilant towards the qualification of the translator, the correct sequence of attestation, and the needs of the school that their child would be pursuing. Crafted with proper planning and the help of professionals, a seemingly complex task turns out to be easy and a necessary step towards getting accustomed to a new learning place. This is because not only does it soothe that the Transfer Certificate is duly translated and authenticated which is appropriate based on the requirements of the UAE laws, but also helps in making the beginning of the student in his or her new journey in academics a lot easier.ghr jak
