Ok so there’s not much I can change now but basically I am a foreign student applying to MIT and I needed to translate my parents’ tax returns for them. The problem is, CSS Profile says:
"Q: To what extent should foreign tax forms be translated?
A: Directly on the form, translate into English the name of the form and next to each currency value write a brief English translation of what the value represents, such as income, or sale of real estate. There is no need to translate instructions or other materials. Failure to translate non-English documents may result in delays in processing your financial aid information. "
Whereas MIT says:
“Provide all original documents and include a translation of all materials into English and report the amounts in your local currency. You may translate all documents on your own. You do not need a professional translator.”
Does that mean I had to translate only the title and currency or every line of the document?
Both entities tell you to supply a financial document that can be read and understood by an English speaker. I expect that every university would accept a translation that accomplishes that.
For a concrete example, here’s an American tax form. I would only translate the first page, which has all of the currency values. Page 2 is entirely instructions and of no value to anyone. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/f1040ez–2017.pdf
Here’s the full set of instructions that go with that particular form. It’s 45 pages long. I highly doubt that MIT would want you to translate a document like this. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040ez.pdf
If you are unsure what universities want, you can email them and ask for clarification. It would be useful to include a copy of the document you are unsure about so that you can reference it directly in your question. (“Page 2 is a full page of instructions on who can use that particular form. Do you need a translation of that?”)
As a side note, translating financial and legal documents is tricky. “Descriptions” are usually better than formal “translations” because other countries may not have a corresponding tax concept. For example, on the form I pointed you to, line 11 reads “Health care: individual responsibility (see instructions).” I would ‘translate’ this as “penalty for not buying health insurance.” Much more descriptive and can be understood by someone who is not familiar with the American tax code.
Because the deadline for submission has passed, I doubt they would ask me for clarification.
So if there’s a section in my parents’ tax return where there is no currency value should I still have translated it? For example, in my document there were a couple of blank lines such as “income tax using the 20% income tax rate” which has been changed for a 15% tax rate in 2014 and thus is no longer needed to fill out in the document but still exists for some reason - should I translate that next time?
Odds are it’s fine. They would most likely let you know if the translation you provided wasn’t sufficient. If you are worried, you can email them and ask. (Really, it’s okay to ask even after the deadline.)
Colleges ask for additional documents after the relevant deadline all the time.