Translator Resume Samples

Overview

With an ever increasing globalised world, the profession of a translator will constantly be in demand. But with this growing market also comes a wealth of competition, as we become global citizens and possibly bilingual speakers and writers in the process.

We can inspire you with the perfect translator resume samples - we’ve already helped over 3 million professionals like you, so there’s never been a better time to get inspired and reach your career potential.

To showcase your highest achievements and skills it’s best to use a reverse-chronological format when constructing your translator resume. You need to be able to show off the finer details while also looking at the big picture.

To increase your chances at standing out to recruiters in the average 6 seconds they spend looking at each resume, use clear font, big headings and lots of white space. To enhance this even further, export the final resume in PDF instead of Microsoft Word, as it will appear intact and neat for their inspection.

The summary section:

For the highly-experienced, make sure you highlight your biggest skills and achievements in the summary section and what you can bring to the new brief.

Are you a professional and translating Indian university text material to English? Have you worked in a government role assisting political campaigns? This is all essential information to include.

A great translator summary section would be:

Professional and highly-experienced Japanese-English translator with 10+ years working in scientific research positions. Moved to managerial position for 5 years, providing professional development courses and building cross-cultural relationships. Desire to leverage accurate and thorough translation skills to move into government role between countries.

Here’s a summary section that needs a bit of attention:

Japanese-English translator with years experience working for a science company. Wish to move into a government role with more responsibility.

For tips and examples on how to build the best translator resume, use our resume builder.

If you’re a junior translator or making a career change, you can write an objective statement here to cover your lack of real-world experience. By including relevant skills and a driven attitude you can attract the recruiter’s attention.

A good junior translator objective statement is:

Motivated and professional junior translator looking to further academic translation skills to your firm. Proven knowledge and application of accurate translation between all parties during international teleconferences. Wish to extend skills and knowledge in the social security sector.

Here’s an alternative objective statement that needs a bit of work:

Recent translator graduate wishes to work in your company. Worked on many projects over the degree and even mentored some younger students.

Work experience:

This is your section to shine. Professional translators spend their time working through the details, which is what you need to do here to stand apart from the pack. Whether you’ve been translating highly confidence government governments for years or are just starting out on your first book translation, you can craft the perfect work experience section to suit you.

Have you led professional development courses or trained new hires on company-specific translation standards? These are the vital details you want to include.

Translator Resume with experience: Consider the following points before noting down your professional experience: What are the relevant qualities and skills for the job? How do you meet these qualities and skills? Using bullet points can make information clearer on the eye Start with your most recent job first

Whilst it’s best not to overload this section, you still need to include the company name, your position and the dates you worked. After that you can detail your experience, using hard stats and figures where necessary to play up your wins.

Lost in Translation Senior Translator 2013-present Mentor translating interns and providing professional development packages to assist their project materials Translation written and verbal material through teleconference, where applicable, including proprietary scientific material and research Sign off on confidential scientific journal translation as required

Here’s a translator work experience section that needs work:

Lost in Translation Senior Translator 2013-present Translate scientific journals for science professionals Sign off and review science research when needed

Translator Resume with no experience: Taking on some voluntary experience in translating can help build your portfolio. Whether it’s translating content for a small Spanish deli, or helping a friend translate a poem, it’s all important information to be including.

A great junior translator work experience section is:

Freelance Translator 2015-present Translated online content for small Spanish deli from Spanish-English Assisted in re-marketing their menu and business strategy to suit the english-speaking community Worked with deli manager to translate a promotional newspaper article from Spanish into English

This section, however, could use a bit more detail:

Freelance Translator 2014-present Helped a friend translate information from Spanish to English Got paid in deli products in lieu of money

You can check out our detailed resume guide for more information on writing your translator work experience.

Education:

Obtaining a BA in translation is widely recognized as being essential for a career in translation. There are, however, a variety of courses, like Interpretation and translation for specific documents, that professionals can undertake to boost their professional practice.

Include the following information in your education section: Where you’ve studied What you’ve studied When you studied Any certifications you’ve earned (Interpretation, Business translation, SDL Trados Training, Translate using DotSub, Editing Scientific Writing)

It’s important that any information included here is entirely truthful and factual. Mention any gaps you’ve had in your employment - or if you’re an entry-level translator looking for real-world experience, let recruiters know. You can include any tertiary projects you’ve worked on, like university text translation or short story translations for the school newspaper.

Here’s a great example of a translator resume education section:

BA in Translation Melbourne University 2008-2012 4.0 GPA Major is Scientific Research Translation Spanish-English Undertook 3 month placement for El Pias, a Spanish national newspaper focusing on politics and current issues

Here’s an education section that needs a bit of work:

BA Translation 4.0 GPA Scientific Research Major

Best translator skills:

Recruiters will be looking for how you function in the real-world profession by judging your technical and soft skills. Hard skills relate to your job specialisms, and softer one are more interpersonal in nature.

Hard Skills	Soft Skills
SDL Trados	Cultural intelligence
MemoQ	Specialist knowledge
Content Management Systems	Effective time management
Ace Translator	Attention to detail
Simultaneous translation between parties during teleconferences	Remaining objective with content
Assist colleagues in understanding cultural sensitivity	Adherent to deadlines and guidelines
Teach internal professional development sources	Effective communication with clients
Languages	Adaptable to linguistic continuities

DO (make yourself look great) Include specialised training and awards Highlight niche experience, like government translations Include examples of your work

DON’T (embarrass yourself or lie) Sell your transferable experience short Write unprofessionally Lie about your past experience

To really polish your resume, why not use our translator resume templates. They’ll help you really boost your career potential, like so many others