Translate Hindi Degree Certificates to English for Education Verification

What a Hindi Degree Certificate Typically Contains

An Indian university degree certificate issued in Hindi is the official record that confirms a student has completed a programme of study. Whether from an open university like Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) or a state university, the certificate follows a predictable structure. You will usually see the university name and emblem at the top, followed by the degree title, such as विज्ञान स्नातक (Bachelor of Science), the candidate’s name, date of award, and the class or division earned. A registration number, examination details, and the signature of the vice-chancellor or registrar round out the document. For degrees in professional fields like hospitality and hotel administration, the certificate may also list the specialisation and the year the examinations were completed in New Delhi or another examination centre.

Common Hindi Terms on Degree Certificates

Hindi-medium degree certificates use a set of recurring terms. Familiarity with these saves time whether you are preparing for a job application or an education credential evaluation abroad. The table below covers the vocabulary most frequently encountered on Indian university certificates, from the broad degree heading down to the division earned.

Source (Devanagari)	Romanisation	English
उपाधि / डिग्री	upādhi / ḍigrī	Degree
प्रमाणपत्र	pramāṇ patra	Certificate
विश्वविद्यालय	viśvavidyālay	University
स्नातक	snātak	Bachelor / Graduate
परीक्षा	parīkṣā	Examination
प्रथम श्रेणी	pratham śreṇī	First Division
द्वितीय श्रेणी	dvitīya śreṇī	Second Division
परीक्षाफल	parīkṣāphal	Result
अंकसूची	aṅk sūcī	Marksheet
अधिष्ठाता	adhiṣṭhātā	Registrar

Why Translate a Degree Certificate to English?

An English translation of a Hindi degree certificate is often the first document a potential employer, admissions office, or licensing board asks for. The most common scenario is an education credential verification for study abroad or an overseas job application. Many evaluation bodies and foreign universities require a certified English version of the award. Even when a formal certified translation is not mandated at the initial stage, an instant AI translation lets you understand the phrasing on your own certificate, confirm that the division and dates are correct, and prepare a complete application draft before you spend money on official processes. From our experience translating similar documents, a quick English copy also helps non-Hindi-speaking recruiters quickly confirm the degree name and class without waiting for a human translator.

AI Translation vs Official-Certified Translation: Which One Do You Need?

Most people who upload a degree certificate to Lekhak’s self-serve platform do so because they need a fast, accurate English draft they can use right away. The instant AI translation produces a DOCX file that faithfully captures the degree title, university name, division, and date of award, all in clear English. For internal review, sharing with a prospective employer as a working document, or preparing a visa application draft, this output is perfectly adequate.

When the final submission must carry legal weight, for embassy interviews, WES or NACES credential evaluation, or formal registration with a professional council, authorities often ask for a certified translation, which is a document signed by a person who attests to its accuracy. Lekhak offers certified translation on-demand for these situations. Notarisation, apostille, and embassy attestation are separate government acts you arrange with the relevant authority.

What Lekhak’s AI Translation Delivers

Instant DOCX and Format Retention

The self-serve process begins when you upload a PDF, DOCX, or a clear photo of your Hindi degree certificate. Lekhak’s AI pipeline runs optical character recognition on Devanagari text, translates the content to English, and delivers a formatted DOCX file in minutes, not hours or days. The download preserves the logical structure of the original: the university name, degree title, candidate details, and the examination information appear in the same order as the source. Formatting such as bold headings, centre alignment of the university emblem area, and table-like layouts for marksheets are retained in the DOCX as far as the source file quality allows. The platform supports 22 Indian languages and over 70 global languages, making it straightforward to handle a mixed-language certificate where some portions, like the month and year, are already in English.

Free Trial Credits to Get Started

New users receive 250 free credits at signup, with no credit card required. For a typical one‑page degree certificate translation from Hindi to English, that trial allocation covers the job completely. You can see the current per‑page rate at lekhak.app/pricing. The credits let you test the output before you decide whether the instant AI version meets your need or you require on‑demand certified translation later.

Notarisation, Apostille, and Embassy Attestation Explained

After you have an English translation, whether the instant AI output or a certified translation arranged on-demand, the next steps depend on where the document will be used. Notarisation is a basic identity verification of the person signing the certificate; a notary public in India can notarise the translation or the original. Apostille is an international authentication governed by the Hague Apostille Convention. For Indian documents, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the designated authority to issue an apostille. Embassy attestation is the comparable process for non‑Hague countries, where the concerned foreign embassy in New Delhi or the Indian consulate abroad stamps the document after state‑level attestation. These are independent procedures that the applicant coordinates directly with the relevant authorities. A certified translation from Lekhak can serve as one of the documents you submit into that chain, but the apostille or attestation itself is performed by government offices.

University-Specific Variations in Hindi Degree Certificates

The format and style of Hindi degree certificates vary considerably across institutions. An IGNOU certificate, for example, tends to follow a standardised bilingual layout where key fields appear in both Hindi and English. In contrast, state universities and autonomous colleges often issue certificates entirely in Hindi, with the degree title, division, and university name appearing only in Devanagari. A Bachelor of Science degree from one university might simply read “विज्ञान स्नातक,” while another adds the specialisation, “आतिथ्य और होटल प्रशासन में विज्ञान स्नातक” (Bachelor of Science in Hospitality and Hotel Administration). In documents we have processed, variations in date formats, the placement of the registration number, and the terminology for the awarding body (विश्वविद्यालय, विद्यापीठ, महाविद्यालय) are common. Accurate translation depends on recognising these institutional norms so that the English version reflects the exact intent of the original.

How to Obtain a Duplicate Degree Certificate If Yours Is Lost

If you no longer have the original Hindi degree certificate, it is best to secure a reissued copy before attempting translation. Most Indian universities, following guidelines set by the Ministry of Education and the University Grants Commission, will issue a duplicate certificate on submission of a written application, a copy of the FIR (if the original was lost or stolen), and the prescribed fee. Start by contacting the examination branch of the university that conducted your university examination, for instance, the student registration division at IGNOU’s headquarters in New Delhi or the controller of examinations at a state university. A clean, undamaged original gives the AI translation the best possible input and ensures that all Devanagari text is legible for optical character recognition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an AI translation accepted for university applications abroad?

Many universities will accept an AI translation as a supporting document during initial review, but the final enrolment stage often requires a certified translation. Always check the receiving institution’s published policy.

Do I need a certified translation for WES or NACES evaluation?

Yes. World Education Services and other NACES member organisations typically require a certified English translation of any document not originally issued in English. The instant AI output can give you a preview, but the formal submission needs certified handling.

How long does AI translation take for a Hindi degree certificate?

On Lekhak, the file is processed in minutes once uploaded. The DOCX download is available as soon as the AI pipeline completes, there is no waiting for office hours or a human translator’s availability.

Can I translate a scanned photo of my certificate?

Yes. The self-serve flow accepts JPG, PNG, WebP, and PDF. A clear, well‑lit photo of the original certificate works fine. Avoid shadows over the Devanagari text so the OCR captures everything correctly.

Will the translation preserve the layout, tables, and university seals?

The DOCX output retains the logical structure, headings, order of fields, and any table-like arrangement, but a digital seal image is not replicated as a graphic. The translated text for the seal’s phrasing is included.

What if my certificate already has some English text alongside Hindi?

Lekhak handles bilingual documents. The AI identifies English portions and leaves them as-is, translating only the Hindi content. This is common with IGNOU certificates that print the degree name and university address in both languages.

What are the next steps after translation if I need notarisation or apostille?

If you need notarisation, visit a local notary public with the translated document and the original certificate. For apostille, the document must go through the state authorities and then to the MEA. These are independent processes you arrange; Lekhak does not perform notarisation or apostille.

Can I use the instant AI translation for a job application in India?

In many cases, yes. Private employers that only need to verify your educational background are often satisfied with a clear English version of your degree certificate, especially at the application stage.

Does Lekhak support degree certificates in other Indian languages?

The AI translation engine covers 22 Indian languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, and Malayalam. The process is identical to the Hindi-to-English workflow.

What if the AI gets a term wrong on my certificate?

You can review the DOCX. If a particular university‑specific term (like an unusual specialisation) looks off, you can edit the file yourself or request on‑demand certified translation where a human reviews the entire document.