<p>My letters of recommendation were written in my native language by two of my teachers and then sent to a translator who mixed them up somehow that 3 identical paragraphs appear in both evaluations. The letters were then signed, sealed and nobody saw them again, except that I saw the translation and I totally freaked out.
Im in big trouble right? </p>
<p>Im not even hoping for an acceptance letter anymore, I just want to apply regular and not facehave other problems like my name on a no-no list or something. I worked too hard for everything and now Im so scared that I will be considered a fraud, and its certainly not the case. The repeated paragraphs are definitely noticeable, not very long, about 3 lines each, but they cannot go unobserved. What will the admission officers do? What should I do? Please help!!!</p>
<p>If the schools have a question about it, they'll probably contact the teachers. If a translater is needed, the schools will have someone who knows the language contact the teachers. If the teachers tell the school what you said here, what happened will not affect your admission chances.</p>
<p>Thanks DoveofPeace!
The translator translated the recommendations in English. One of my teachers doesnt even know English so it will be a big trouble if they call her, but if they contact my school counselor she will confirm. So they double check before sending your application to the waste bin?</p>
<p>Yes, of course they are very likely to doublecheck.
I've been on committees that looked at nationwide scholarship apps. In one case, it was very clear that the student had forged his recommendation. It was clear because the recc was supposed to be from a college prof in journalism, but contained some major grammatical errors, the same kind that were in the student's essay.</p>
<p>Before eliminating the student from consideration, we double checked by calling the prof to make sure that he really didn't write the recc. He confirmed that he hadn't written it.</p>
<p>Did the colleges also get a copy of your teachers' untranslated recommendation? That also could help. The top colleges, the ones that tend to most use recommendations, are likely to have someone on their faculty who can read even obscure languages.</p>
<p>So the kids application was not considered and thats it? What would have happened to the student if the professor would have confirmed? </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I didnt send the original letter because I thought it would be unprofessional and now I dont have it anymore. Right now Im not afraid of rejection from the university I applied to ED, but Im scared that they will go further into the problem and cause difficulties that will not allow me to apply regular decision.</p>
<p>If the prof confirmed that the prof had written the letter, the app would have been considered, and the committee woudl have taken under consideration the fact that the student had teachers who didn't know basic grammar.</p>
<p>Yes, but the nature of my problem is slightly different since one of my teachers (the one that doesnt know English, ironically) has to explain why she wrote the same paragraphs as my school counselor, and this will not be an easy task. </p>
<p>Should I email the university and explain
its kinda strange because I wasnt supposed to see my recommendation and now here I come with an out of place statement. Or should I ask my school counselor to e-mail them and explain that meanwhile she looked through my other teachers recommendation and saw the translators mistakes. Is it a little off the hook?</p>
<p>I would go back to your two recommenders and have them fax or mail the recs in the original language to the school. Then the college should have both the original and the translated versions. That should be sufficient (at least that's what I think)</p>