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Located in Houston, Texas, SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. referred to herein as SpanTran, provides translations and credential(s) evaluations. First operating under two DBA’s (1980 and 1982), SpanTran was incorporated in Texas in 1989 and reincorporated in 2004. In 1982, the president of SpanTran passed the certification examination (Spanish to English) of the American Translators Association. In the Spring of 1996, SpanTran joined the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. / NACES as a regular member. Membership in NACES establishes that the credentials evaluation service follows placement guidelines of the National Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. Affiliation with a selective association such as NACES is an important indication of the quality of work accomplished by a foreign credential evaluation service and an assurance that the evaluation reports it prepares will be reliable.
SpanTran analyzes international qualifications--certificates, diplomas, degrees, transcripts, and licenses--for purposes of further study, employment, professional licensing, registration and / or immigration. These credential evaluations are provided for immigration attorneys, employers, placement services, educational institutions, government agencies, and licensing boards, among others. We are very experienced in evaluating professional education for U.S. degree equivalencies in such fields as education, engineering, accounting, law, medicine, dentistry, nursing, and veterinary science; and for purposes of teacher certification, whether through traditional colleges of education or through alternative certification programs in educational districts / institutions.
SpanTran provides certified and notarized translations of documents from most languages. As experienced credential evaluators, we provide extremely reliable translations of academic / professional documents: transcripts / academic histories, certificates, diplomas, attestations, theses / thesis abstracts, institutional syllabi, student enrollment cards, statements of academic / professional rankings, professional registration cards, etc. In addition, SpanTran translates all supporting documentation needed for immigration and school applications: vital statistics (birth, marriage, divorce, death) certificates, financial statements, letters of financial suppport, tax returns, résumés, (police) verifications of good conduct, military records, and so forth. As an agency, we provide translations unrelated to the above, including large special projects. Translations are executed by experienced professional translators who frequently hold advanced degrees in language / linguistics and / or specific language-group accreditations by examination of the American Translators Association. Most of our translators are active in the ATA or in ATA-based chapters. In 1982, our president passed the Spanish-to-English certification examination of the American Translators Association.
Our services also include research projects and information-specific reports, forms, and letters with regard to international education. To support this research, our reference library contains extensive resources which are updated regularly. Together, SpanTran’s two senior credentials evaluators have participated in some one hundred panels, presentations, workshops, etc. on international education and related topics. We are delighted to announce the 2004 publication of BRAZIL: Country Report, Projects for International Education Research, under the auspices of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, authored by Dr. M. Lou Nunes, Senior Credentials Evaluator, 1999 to 2005.
SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, handicap, religion, sex, national origin, or age. Nevertheless, as a private company not supported by any governmental / public funds, SpanTran retains the right to decline to provide services.
SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. considers verification / authentication to be of paramount importance; therefore, SpanTran does not knowingly translate / evaluate falsified or altered documents. A department within SpanTran works diligently to verify / authenticate credentials. SpanTran notifies appropriate entities of confirmed forgeries. These entities may include the referring and target schools / colleges / universities, local / state / federal governmental agencies, law offices, and employers, among others. As a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc., SpanTran participates in the NACES fraud notification exchange by which NACES members share information concerning confirmation rf document falsification and / or alteration.
Occasionally, after a translation / evaluation is issued, we learn of document falsification and / or alteration. SpanTran therefore reserves the right to void the translation / evaluation, notify appropriate institutions of document inaccuracy, and require that the work be returned. In such cases, no fees are refunded.
Institutional accreditation is carefully checked before any evaluation is released. SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. does not knowlingly evaluate documents from diploma mills, unaccredited institutions, institutions lacking government recognition, or institutions with candidacy for accreditation. The concept of accreditation, however, is subject to the governmental policies of the educational system under review and may seem arbitrary to those unfamiliar with the credentialing process.
SpanTran bases its evaluations on in-house research and on information available to U.S. credential analysts in light of prevailing placement guidelines and methodologies approved by the Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Educational Credentials. Since Council guidelines vary, depending on the prevailing members and on changes in educational credentials and methodologies, individual recommendations may differ. Target / admitting institutions / entities, in compliance with their internal policies and procedures, retain the absolute right to accept, modify, or reject the advisory recommendations expressed in our credential evaluations. Furthermore, target / admitting institutions retain the right to require challenge testing of all coursework, especially, in English and mathematics.
For identity protection, beginning 2004, only the last four digits of Social Security Numbers will appear on evaluations. Some entities (example: New York Civil Service Board), however, require that the full Social Security Number be clearly stated. Therefore, if the full SSN is needed, this should be noted on the SpanTran application.
From 1982 to December 31, 2000, SpanTran retained files for ten years from the date of file initiation. Effective January 1, 2001, SpanTran retains files for five years from the date of file initiation. Questions regarding completed translations / evaluations must be submitted in writing within 30 calendar days of issuance. Questions submitted after 30 calendar days must be submitted in writing, accompanied by a non-refundable review fee of $50.00 which does not guarantee that any changes are justified.
SpanTran does not add an additional charge for credential authentication if the source institution is cooperative and prompt in replying. Many institutions, however, do not answer verification requests promptly, necessitating our sending the documents two, three, four, or more times, often holding up the evaluation for considerable time. SpanTran thus charges a minimum of $35 for verification requests to uncooperative institutions. In addition, many international institutions charge from mimimal to quite expensive fees for their verifications; these fees will require that the client obtain an international money order in the specified currency, payable to the foreign institution. The client will need to submit this money order plus $60 verification request fee directly to SpanTran in addition to the fees for the evaluation and / or translation. Finally, some institutions, even those with verification fees, are so uncooperative that we must ask the client to arrange with the institution to have official documentation mailed directly to SpanTran; a list of said institutions is available from SpanTran.
Official above refers to credentials mailed by the issuing institution directly to SpanTran in a preprinted envelope bearing the institutional name, address, and, usually, logo or emblem. In regard to express mail, only documents handled by Federal Express (FEDEX), which can confirm the exact location of pickup, are considered official.
Effective 6 September 2004, all fees are non-refundable except in the case of overpayment.
SpanTran uses the honorifics of Mr. and Ms. only.
Translations and evaluations are issued with the prevailing document status: attested / unattested / notarized photocopies and/or originals. Once the work is issued, changes in document status will incur an additional charge.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 17, 2006.
SpanTran Educational Services, Inc. does not guarantee the currency, accuracy, or contents of information written herein. Please bring to our attention any misleading or inappropriate information on this webpage so that we can correct it.