Using Additional Info to define words from other languages used in Common App

Applying to College
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Hello!

I’ve spent a lot of time drafting, writing, and revising my Common App personal statement. It’s only now, that I’ve realized that the Common App doesn’t allow for other languages in its essays. Even though I could see the word in the other language, it replaces the word with ??? when previewing.

Now, I’ve looked at other posts regarding this issue on this thread, but it seems that most people can resolve this issue using transliteration.

Throughout my entire essay, I juxtapose 2 separate words - it’s English and other language counterpart - and my entire essay is founded on the juxtaposition of these 2 words. I can’t transliterate the word because it’ll just become the other word I’m trying to juxtapose with.

At the start of my essay, I make it clear what the word translates too (In [language], [word 1] is [word 2]). I really don’t want to have to re-format/re-write this essay as I’ve loved the way it has turned out, and I’ve received a lot of positive and great feedback from counselors.

Would I be fine just keeping in the question marks if there’s enough context to deduce what the question marks represent? Am I able to also clarify this in my additional info section, and would that be enough to keep my essay how it is with the question marks.

Thank you!

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Remember that your application is going to be reviewed fairly quickly. If your essay is not obvious on its own, my opinion is to re-write it without the foreign word.

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I agree with momofboiler. It is annoying to see the question marks and then to see it over and over again, just nope.

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To be clear for other applicants, the Common App does allow other languages. You can type in Spanish, German, Italian.

It does not allow for other alphabets. You can’t use Cyrillic, kanji, Hangul, etc. Nor can you use less common diacritics with the Latin alphabet.

Anyhoo, an essay filled with ??? is not a good essay from the POV of an AO

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But once submitted…can a student change their common application essay?

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Not for the already submitted apps…OP would have to email an updated essay to their AO (or upload it to the portal, if that’s allowed.)

OP can change the common app essay for schools they haven’t yet submitted the app.

Yep. The first thing we do when we see odd characters in an app is to ascertain whether or not there’s been a problem with the file upload.

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