Created by CakeYou'll learn:How to write a translator resume?What to put on a translator resume?Tips
for writing the best translator CVHow to write a translator cover
letter?Translator resume sample
As the world becomes more globalized, multilingualism will gain more traction. A translator is usually employed to translate written materials into one or more languages. The primary responsibilities include ensuring that the context and meaning translated are properly maintained, implementing the correct terminologies, and proofreading the translated documents. It’s important to note that translators differ from interpreters, the latter being more specialized in translating orally, most often in real-time settings.
Seeking to market yourself more by creating a fantastic freelance translator resume? Or perhaps you’re a fresh graduate crafting your first entry-level translator resume? Maybe you want to create a specific language translator resume, such as a Spanish translator resume or an Arabic translator resume? You and your career can benefit from having a firm grasp on the essence of a good translator resume.
How to write a translator resume?
As a professional translator, there is no doubt you would want to impress prospective employers with your translator resume. One might think, surely, I can simply center my translator resume around my language skills and call it a day? Doing so might only do a disservice to yourself, as there is more that goes into a resume than your skills, all of which will be discussed in this guide!Step 1: Understand the Differences between a CV and a Resume
It’s easy to confuse a translator CV from a translator resume because of how frequently it’s interchanged. In general, a CV would be mainly used in specific settings such as academia, medicine, or science fields, be more detailed and longer (over 2 pages) compared to its resume counterpart, and has a simple structure. In contrast, a resume is used
for a job application; thus, it should only contain relevant details and be shorter in length (within 2 pages). You can also choose from a large variety of templates
for a resume. This usually matters
for most jobs, but as a translator, you might specialize in various fields, and your translator resume might need adjustments in length, content, etc. Thus, in the translation field, a translator CV is usually synonymous with a translator resume.
Step 2: Choose the Right
Format
for Your Translator Resume
There are 3 types of resume
formats you can utilize
for all kinds of translator resume (including a freelance translator resume!): chronological, functional, and hybrid/combination. Which one is the best? The answer depends! Some
formats might work better
for you depending on your experience, background, and the skills you possess. So be
fore committing to a
format, you might want to carefully evaluate your translator background, job context, and abilities.
Step 3: Look Up Translator Resume Templates Samples Online
There are a plethora of excellent translator resume templates and translator resume samples online which can be of help when crafting your professional translator resume. The difficult part would be to sift through this sea of online references and pick out the good ones. Even so, these references might contain mistakes that you do not want to include in your translator CV. Thus, it’s important to not simply copy and paste the contents and
format of these references. Instead, tailor it to the job
for maximum effectiveness.
Step 4: Tailor Your Translator Resume
for the Position
Not your first translation gig? Great! You already have your entry-level translator resume as a solid starting point! Still, you should always tailor your translator resume
for the position; this also goes
for a translator CV with no experience. Tailor your resume by including keywords found in the job ad or only include relevant details and experiences (a recruiter can only spend so much time looking through your resume).
Step 5: Craft a Translator Cover
Letter
You should always craft a translator cover
letter, no matter the type of your translator resume, may it be a freelance translator resume or a fresh graduate translator CV. A translator cover
letter allows you to explain the in
formation within your translator CV. The cover
letter should introduce you, elaborate on the context of your achievements and qualifications, and explain your
motivation and passion
for the job.
Step 6: ProofreadAs a translator, proofreading is a part of your job. You do not want your translator CV to be ridden with careless grammatical errors or misspellings! You can do so yourself or you can utilize the help of a second pair of eyes or a spellchecker to ensure that your translator resume is error-free!
What to put on a translator resume?
The translator resume templates and translator resume samples you find online can serve as a guide when crafting your own but you don’t have to necessarily follow their entire
format. Even so, below are the in
formation that you should always include in your translator resume.1. Resume Profile (Personal In
formation)✅ Always include:
Full nameProfessional titleE-mail addressPhone numberAddress (city, state, and/or country)
❌ And exclude:
Current salaryYou’ll only do yourself a disservice by bringing out a number too early into your hiring process. This may lessen your bargaining power when negotiating your salary.Social Security number/National Insurance numberYou don’t need to provide your Social Security number or your National Insurance number be
fore you get hired.Sexual orientation, race, marital status, photograph, date of birth, nationality, gender, and religion.
2. Translator Resume HeadlineA good newspaper headline’s purpose is to quickly attract attention to a news story while conveying the significance behind the said story. An excellent translator resume headline should also serve the same purpose
for yourself; a recruiter reading your translator resume should be able to immediately know about who you are: your strengths, achievements, and relevant experiences. Your resume headline should be short and concise (one-line) and placed on top of your translator CV.
Translator resume headline
examples:
Passionate and Multilingual Translator With More Than 7 Years of Experience in French-English TranslationDetail-Oriented Legal Translator Specializing in Translating Legal Documents into German, Mandarin, Japanese, and English
3. Translator Resume SummaryAfter your translator resume headline grabbed the recruiter’s attention, you should elaborate more about your resume headline and yourself in your translator resume summary. Ideally, a professional summary in a translator resume summary would be around 2-3 sentences long, with the main focus on your translator background, abilities, qualifications, and relevant experience.
Translator resume summary
example:
Highly experienced and multilingual translator with a background in translating drug data sheets and medical bulletins in Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, and English. Successfully translated over 400 projects.
4. Translator Resume ObjectiveYour career objective as a translator should be conveyed in your translator resume objective. A properly constructed translator resume objective should give recruiters an idea of who you are as a candidate. A standalone resume objective is not necessary, you can combine it in your resume summary too.
Translator resume objective
example:
Passionate and highly skilled translator with more than 5 years in Hungarian-English and Romanian-English translations. Experienced in translating legal documents
for purposes of applying
for citizenship in the United States of America. Looking to further improve my translation skills as a translator in the Embassy of Romania.
5. Skills
for Your Translator ResumeA common misconception some translators may have is that recruiters will only focus on their language skills. Although your language skills (hard skills) are extremely crucial, you should also list your soft skills if you want to elevate your translator CV from a good one to an exceptional one.
Example skills
for a translator resume:✒️Hard SkillsCopywritingEnglish (Native Proficiency)French (Native Proficiency, CEFR C2)
✒️Soft SkillsCultural AwarenessTime ManagementProject Management
6. Translator Work ExperienceYour previous translation work experience, to prospective employers and clients, can serve as a testament to your skills as a translator. In your work experience section, you should include basic details of your past job (job titles, your previous employers, employment periods, brief responsibilities) and the achievements you have attained.Translator resume work experience
example:
Spanish-English Translator | ABC PublishingMay 2012 - Present
Translated over 100 books from Spanish to English and vice versa, including 20 New York Times Best Seller books.Trained a team of 5 other junior translators.
7. EducationTranslating is a very specialized job that requires plenty of training and a high degree of precision and accuracy.
For this reason, education is one of the most highly valued sections of your translator resume. Here, you should include your education institution, degree, major, coursework, year of graduation, honors and awards, GPA, and relevant extracurricular activities.
8. Additional In
formation: CertificationsTranslators do not always require certifications to prove their fluency in the language. However, certification is a
form of quality assurance in the translation and occasionally, in the localization of documents. You may consider seeking certification if you want to assure recruiters and clients that the reliability and accuracy of your translation are of the utmost degree.
💡 Where to get certifications:
American Translators AssociationThe National Board of Certification
for Medical InterpretersNational Accreditation Authority
for Translators and Interpreters
Tips
for writing the best translator CV
#Tip 1: Customize the Resume
for Translator PositionsAs mentioned prior, no matter the type of translator resume you are crafting, they should always be customized and tailored to the job ad. As similar as most translation jobs could be, you are bound to spot a few differences if you look through the job ad carefully. By customizing your translator CV, you increase your chances of standing out from other applicants who might use a standardized translator CV.
#Tip 2: Quantify Results in Your Translator ResumeQualitative descriptions of your results can limit you from showing the full extent of your qualifications. To combat this, you can quantify results in your translator resume. Doing so can help your achievements look more outstanding and convincing than words.
#Tip 3: Choose an ATS-friendly Resume LayoutCompanies may utilize the help of an applicant tracking software (ATS) to filter out the massive amount of resumes they receive. To ensure that you pass through the filter, you may want to use resume templates and layouts that don’t contain too many visuals. Incorporating keywords found in the job ad can also increase your chances to be filtered in by the ATS, so remember to always tailor and customize your translator resume!#Tip 4: Adopt Resume Action VerbsAction verbs are the way to go to provide in
formation about you in an employer's mind. Proper use of powerful action verbs can propel your resume above other candidates’.#Tip 5: Include Your International ExperiencesIf you have any international experiences that required you to frequently utilize your language skills, such as living abroad, going on an
exchange program, etc., include these in your translator CV, especially if they invlove languages you specialize in. Including these international experiences can help enhance your skills section.How to write a translator cover
letter?
How would you show your professionalism as a translator other than ensuring that your translator CV is top-notch? You do so by crafting an excellent cover
letter. As the first document that reaches the recruiter (even be
fore your resume), you would want to ensure that you leave a good and lasting impression.
All types of translator cover
letter, may it be a freelance translator cover
letter or a translator cover
letter with no experience, should contain:
Basic personal in
formation to identify yourself and your contact details.You may want to check out the hiring company’s website, LinkedIn, or other relevant websites to find out more about the hiring manager and the company itself. Greeting the recruiter with the right name can make you stand out from other applicants. State who you are and the position you're applying
for.Elaborate on your reason
for applying
for the job and what you can bring to the company.Convince them why you're perfect
for the role by emphasizing 2 to 3 of your relevant skills and experiences.End the cover
letter in a polite tone, thanking them
for their time.
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Translator resume sample
Anthony TuringMultilingual and Professional Translator With More Than 7 Years Experience in Translating Books and Novels
+1- 245-534-8179
[email protected]linkedin.com/in/anthonyturing
Summary
Multilingual, professional, and passionate translator with over 7 years of experience in translating English, Spanish, and German books. Completed over 400 projects, including 55 New York Times Bestseller and 7 Pulitzer Prize books. Seeking to leverage and improve my translation and communication skills
for the Spanish-English translator position in Balboa Books Publishing.
Work Experience
German-English Translator| Freelance Mar 2019 – Present
Translated (German to English and vice versa) over 200 projects, including legal documents, books, website content, news articles, and drug datasheets.Maintained strict confidentiality policies concerning clients and materials translated.Commended by past clients
for translation efficiency and accuracy.
Spanish-English Translator | Atlantic Press
Jan 2014 – Feb 2017
Trained a team of 5 junior translators.Translated over 200 books and novels from English to Spanish and vice versa, including 7 Pulitzer Prize books.Ensured other translators’ final works adhered to proper Spanish and English grammatical rules and are error-free.
Languages
English (Native Proficiency, CEFR C2, ILR 5)German (Native Proficiency, CEFR C2, ILR 5)Spanish (Native Proficiency, CEFR C2, ILR 5)
SkillsCopywriting Copyediting Research AnalysisCultural AwarenessCultural IntelligenceCommunicationMultitaskingTime Management
Education
M.A. in Translation with Concentration in GermanKent State UniversityGPA: 3.83/4.02017 – 2019B.A. in SpanishThe University of ArizonaTranslation and Interpretation EmphasisGPA: 3.86/4.02010 – 2014
--- Originally written by Patricia Rosita ---