How to Build or Improve your CV as a Freelance Translator

Do you want to know how to create a great translator resume? Do you want to improve your CV to increase your chances of getting translation jobs? Here are some tips to improve your translator resume and get the translation jobs you want!

Recruiters spend on average 5-7 seconds looking at a resume. Find below some tips for a clear, concise, and complete resume for translators that will help you get the recruiter’s attention.

• Length: Ideally, it should be 1 page long. Include only what is relevant to the position you are applying to as well as your most impressive qualifications or projects.

• Layout & Formatting: It should be easy to read and look professional. Use legible fonts and select 10- or 12-point font size. Also, use easy-to-read colors, and make sure there is color contrast between text and background. Always send your resume in PDF format.

• Content:

What should be included:

-        Personal information: Your name and your professional job title, including your working language pair(s).

-        Contact information: You should include your e-mail address, mobile phone, and instant messaging apps (Skype, WhatsApp, WeChat, Telegram, etc.) that you use.

-        Education: you should start from the most recent qualification to the oldest one. Include only relevant qualifications.
-        Work experience: You should also start from the most recent experiences you had to the oldest ones. Again, include only those professional experiences that are related to the role you are applying to, i. e. projects you have worked on, past experiences in other agencies, volunteering work, etc.
-        Published works.
-        CAT tools & other software: Always include the CAT tools you have or that you know how to use, as well as other software that might be useful for the position.
-        Services provided: It is good to include services that you can provide, such as, translation, editing, proofreading, transcription, subtitling, localization, transcreation, copywriting, MTPE, among others.
-        Areas of expertise or fields of specialization.

What does not need to be included: Information that is unnecessary when it comes to delivering quality translation services. For example:

-        Personal information: date of birth, marital status, if you have children or not, ID number or Tax identification number (you can provide these ID numbers later with your bank details).
-        Education: primary or secondary school (unless it is related to translation or your fields of specialization), or any irrelevant qualification.
-        Hobbies and interests which are not relevant, personal & professional skills (they might be included, but if you need to take something out to make your CV shorter, they are not necessary, as you can demonstrate those skills. Remember: Actions speak louder than words!).
-        Personal objectives (we are service providers; you need to focus on offering services).
-        Language mistakes: Please check your CV carefully to ensure that there are no mistakes. As language professionals, we need to write correctly and properly.

Do you have any other tips or suggestions to write a good translator CV?

Leave a comment below!