Chinese or English — and what happens to everything else
Most Chinese universities accept application documents in Chinese or in English. If your documents are in any other language, they will need to be translated, and the university decides what form that translation must take.
Peking University states that application materials must be in Chinese or English, and that documents in other languages must be accompanied by notarised Chinese or English translations. It goes further for diplomas, requiring both the original and a notarised copy in Chinese or English, and requires transcripts as originals or notarised copies.
Sichuan University words it differently: it requires that all uploaded certificates and documents be originals or notarised copies in Chinese or English, and asks for official Chinese or English translations of documents in other languages.
Read closely what the word notarised is attached to, because it is not the same thing at both universities. At Peking University it attaches to the translation. At Sichuan University it attaches to the copy of the certificate, while the translation is described only as official. Two requirements that both contain the word notarised can call for two different pieces of work.
Read your university's wording literally, and note the noun it modifies. Notarised, official, certified and sealed are not interchangeable, and work prepared to the wrong standard has to be redone.
What normally gets translated
For a university application, the documents that most often need a Chinese or English version are these.
- Degree certificates and graduation certificates
- Academic transcripts, including grading scales and any explanatory notes on the reverse
- High school leaving certificates, for undergraduate applicants
- Recommendation letters, where the referee wrote in another language
- Non-criminal record certificates, where required
- Physical examination forms, where required
- Bank statements or financial guarantees, where required
Two things are routinely forgotten. The first is the back of the transcript: grading keys, credit definitions and explanatory footnotes are part of the document and an admissions officer may need them to interpret your marks. The second is the certification page itself — once an apostille or legalisation certificate is attached, it is part of the document, and the receiving office may expect it to appear in the translation.
Personal statements and research plans are written by you, not translated after the fact. Where a programme is taught in Chinese, write in Chinese if you can — a statement that reads as a translation makes a weaker case than one written in the language of the programme.
Order of operations
The sequence matters more than the choice of translator, because doing it out of order means paying twice.
- Obtain the final document from the issuing institution.
- Complete any authentication your destination requires — apostille, or consular legalisation where the apostille route does not apply.
- Translate the document, including the authentication certificate if one has been attached.
- Have the translation notarised, if the university's wording requires notarisation.
- Submit, keeping originals and asking before posting anything irreplaceable.
Translating first is the classic mistake. A translation made before certification does not show the certification, and you may be asked for a complete document.
Questions worth asking before you pay
Nobody can promise you in advance that a particular translation will be accepted, because acceptance is decided by the office that receives it — the university admissions department, the notary, or the consulate. Treat any guarantee of acceptance with suspicion. What you can do is establish the requirements precisely before commissioning work.
- Ask the university, in writing, whether it requires a notarised translation or an official one, and whether it wants Chinese or English.
- Ask whether the translation must be bound with, or physically attached to, a copy of the original.
- Ask whether a scan is acceptable for the initial application and a hard copy required later, which is common.
- Ask whether the certification page must be included in the translation.
- Keep the reply. If a requirement is disputed later, a written answer from the admissions office settles it.
Where the requirement is notarisation, ask the notary what they need from the translator, since notaries differ in whether they attest the translator's identity, the translator's declaration, or the translation itself.
Frequently asked questions
Do my documents have to be in Chinese?
Usually Chinese or English is acceptable. Peking University requires application materials in Chinese or English, with notarised translations for documents in other languages. Programmes taught in English may be more flexible in practice, but the published rule is what governs.
What is the difference between a notarised translation and an official translation?
A notarised translation involves a notary, who attests to something about the translation or the translator. An official or certified translation generally does not. The trap is that universities attach the word to different things: Peking University requires notarised translations, while Sichuan University requires notarised copies of the certificates and describes the translation itself only as official. Follow the exact wording of the university you are applying to, and note which document the requirement modifies.
Should I translate before or after getting the apostille?
After. The apostille or legalisation certificate is frequently attached as an extra page and becomes part of the document, so a translation prepared beforehand will not include it and may be treated as incomplete.
Does the back of my transcript need translating?
If it carries content, yes. Grading scales, credit definitions and explanatory notes are part of the transcript and an admissions officer may need them to interpret your results correctly.
Can anyone guarantee my translation will be accepted?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Acceptance is decided by the receiving body. What you can do is confirm the exact requirement with that body in writing before commissioning the work, and keep the reply.