Certified Translation for Malaysian University Admission

Written by Zhihan Chew

Short answer

EMGS (Education Malaysia Global Services) and public universities such as UM, UTM and USM accept documents in English or Malay; Monash University Malaysia, Taylor's University and the University of Nottingham Malaysia ask for an English translation of any document not in English. A document in any other language needs an English translation: EMGS asks for a full translation it can independently verify, UTM and Monash ask for a certified translation, and UM, Taylor's and Nottingham ask for an official one. MYLegalTrans prepares certified English translations of certificates, transcripts and supporting documents from our Kuala Lumpur office.

Send the documents on WhatsApp for a fixed quotation: +60 17-227 9378.

Last reviewed: 3 November 2026.

Who needs this

  • International students applying to a Malaysian university, public or private.
  • Students applying for the EMGS student pass with documents not in English or Malay.
  • Postgraduate applicants whose degree, transcript or diploma was issued in Chinese, Indonesian, Arabic, Thai, Japanese, Korean or another language.

Going the other way, with a Malaysian degree for use abroad? See Degree, Transcript and SPM Certificate Translation and Attestation and How to Attest Academic Documents at MOHE.

What the universities and EMGS ask for

  • EMGS (student pass): a document not in English or Malay "must be accompanied by a full translation into English that can be independently verified by EMGS". The translation carries the translator's or translation company's confirmation that it is accurate, the date of translation, the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the company, and contact details. Certified copies are usually certified by the officer who issues or keeps the original, or by a solicitor, notary public, justice of the peace or another person authorised to take a statutory declaration, with a stamp or seal and the certifier's signature.
  • Universiti Malaya (UM): an official translation for applicants whose native language is not English or Malay; English translations are compulsory for certificates not in English. Undergraduate documents are certified by a school principal, a government officer, a Commissioner for Oaths or the applicant's embassy.
  • Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM): "All supporting documents that are in other than English or Malay language must be with certified English translation"; undergraduate international applicants also send certified photocopies of the translated certificates.
  • Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM): a translated copy of every certificate issued in a language other than English or Malay.
  • Monash University Malaysia: certified translated copies of qualifications not in English; NAATI-qualified translators are preferred. Chinese documents certified by a Notary Public Office in China include a certificate that the English translations are authentic.
  • Taylor's University: the original-language version together with an official English translation.
  • University of Nottingham Malaysia: an official English translation together with the originals.

Step by step

  1. Check the list. Take the document list from your offer letter or the application portal, and note every document that is not in English (or not in English or Malay, for EMGS, UM, UTM and USM).
  2. Send us the softcopy. A clear scan or photo of every page, front and back, is all we need to quote and translate. No original is needed for the translation itself.
  3. Fixed quotation. You receive a fixed quotation before any work starts. Payment is in full, upfront.
  4. Translation and your review. We translate every page, back pages included, and send you the draft to check names, dates and grades against your documents.
  5. Certification. The approved translation is certified and sent as a softcopy, with a hardcopy delivered unless you tell us you do not need one.
  6. Upload. Upload the original-language document and the certified translation together, as your university or EMGS asks.

What gets an application held up

  • A self-made translation. EMGS asks for a translation it can independently verify, carrying the translator's or company's confirmation of accuracy, the date, a name and signature, and contact details; a translation you make yourself usually lacks these. We do not certify translations clients make themselves; we translate afresh.
  • A partial translation. EMGS asks for a full translation of the document, so every page is translated, back pages included.
  • The translation sent without the original-language document. Taylor's asks for the original-language version and Nottingham Malaysia for the originals together with the translation, so send both.

A related point for school-level documents: the Ministry of Education does not recognise a Government (MTA/DBP) translation; an ITBM or High Court translation is used instead.

How we prepare it

Our team includes ITBM, Malaysian Translators Association (MTA) and NAATI-certified translators and Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak High Court interpreters. For a Malaysian university, we prepare a High Court certified English translation unless you ask for another kind. If your university prefers NAATI-qualified translators, tell us your language pair and we confirm whether a NAATI-certified translator on our team covers it.

Every certified translation we prepare carries the four items EMGS asks for: a statement that it is an accurate translation of the original, the date of translation, the name and signature of the certifier, and our contact details.

If an authority rejects a certified translation we prepared within 30 days of delivery, we re-do it free. See What we guarantee. Documents you send for a quotation are covered by our Client NDA. Prices are fixed for every client; see Discount options.

Ringkasan (Bahasa Melayu)

EMGS dan universiti awam seperti UM, UTM dan USM menerima dokumen dalam bahasa Inggeris atau bahasa Melayu; Monash University Malaysia, Taylor's University dan University of Nottingham Malaysia meminta terjemahan bahasa Inggeris bagi dokumen yang bukan dalam bahasa Inggeris. EMGS meminta terjemahan lengkap yang mengandungi pengesahan ketepatan oleh penterjemah atau syarikat terjemahan, tarikh terjemahan, nama penuh dan tandatangan penterjemah atau pegawai syarikat yang diberi kuasa, serta butiran untuk dihubungi. Hantar salinan lembut kepada kami melalui WhatsApp untuk sebut harga tetap.

摘要（中文）

EMGS 及 UM、UTM、USM 等公立大学接受英文或马来文文件；Monash University Malaysia、Taylor's University 和 University of Nottingham Malaysia 则要求非英文文件附上英文翻译。EMGS 要求完整的英文翻译，并须包含译者或翻译公司的准确性声明、翻译日期、译者或公司授权人员的全名及签名，以及联系方式。请通过 WhatsApp 发送文件电子版，我们会提供固定报价。

Common questions

Do Malaysian universities accept documents in Chinese or other languages?

With an English translation. EMGS, UM, UTM and USM accept documents in English or Malay; Monash Malaysia, Taylor's and Nottingham Malaysia ask for an English translation of anything not in English.

What must a translation for EMGS contain?

The translator's or translation company's confirmation that it is an accurate translation of the original, the date of the translation, the full name and signature of the translator or an authorised official of the company, and their contact details. Every certified translation we prepare carries all four.

Do I need to send my original certificate for the translation?

No. A clear softcopy of every page is enough for the translation.

Can I translate my own certificate?

EMGS asks for a translation it can independently verify, with the translator's confirmation, signature and contact details, which a self-made translation usually lacks. We do not certify translations clients make themselves; we translate the document afresh.

Which translation do you prepare for a Malaysian university?

A High Court certified English translation, unless you ask for another kind. For the Ministry of Education, use an ITBM or High Court translation; a Government (MTA/DBP) translation is not recognised there.

Do my translations need to be notarised?

Only if your university or EMGS asks for it. Tell us what your offer letter or the portal asks for, and we confirm the route in your quotation.

Related guides

Sources

Zhihan Chew
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