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Translator CV Template & Example
By the WhizCV team
A translator CV has to make your language pairs, specialisms, and accuracy impossible to miss. Agencies and clients scan for native-level fluency, the subject domains you handle, your CAT tools, and proof you deliver high volumes without sacrificing quality.
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Full Translator CV examples
Written by the WhizCV team · fictional person · figures are illustrative
Sofia Marín
Spanish and French to English Translator
[Town]07700 900352sofia.marin@example.com
Profile
Graduate translator working from Spanish and French into English. I grew up speaking Spanish and English at home and spent a year studying in Lyon. I am looking for a junior in-house role or regular agency work on business and marketing texts.
Translation experience
Volunteer Translator · [Charity name]
- Translate leaflets and web pages from Spanish into English, about 2,000 words a month.
- Keep a shared glossary so the charity's terms stay consistent across volunteers.
Year abroad · [University], Lyon
- Studied business French and translated company reports as assessed coursework.
Education
BA Modern Languages (Spanish and French) · [University], 2025
Dissertation: translating humour in Spanish advertising
Tools and skills
CAT tools: memoQ and Trados Studio (training) · Glossaries · Proofreading · Research
Marta Kowalska
Polish to English Translator · Legal and Medical
[Town]07700 900587marta.kowalska@example.com
Profile
Freelance Polish to English translator with six years in legal and medical texts for agencies and law firms. I work in Trados Studio, keep client term bases up to date and deliver on the agreed date.
Experience
Freelance Translator · Self-employed
- Translate contracts, court documents and patient records for three regular agencies.
- Around 400,000 words a year, most of it checked by the agencies' own reviewers.
- Built a legal term base of about 3,000 entries that my main agency now shares with its reviewers.
In-house Translator · Example Language Services Ltd
- Translated and proofread medical device documentation from Polish into English.
- Checked other translators' work against the client style guide.
Qualifications
Diploma in Translation (DipTrans), CIOL · [Year]
MA Translation Studies · [University]
Tools
Trados Studio · memoQ · Term bases · QA checks · Legal and medical terminology
James Whitfield
German to English Translator and Reviewer
[Town]07700 900915james.whitfield@example.com
Profile
Senior German to English translator and reviewer with twelve years in technical and financial translation. I lead a small team of freelancers on a long-running client account, set the style guide and sign off final files.
Experience
Lead Linguist · Example Localisation Ltd
- Lead a pool of six freelance translators on a German engineering client's manuals.
- Wrote the client style guide and term base, and review every file before delivery.
- Introduced a QA checklist that reduced the number of files sent back for correction.
- Train new freelancers on the account's tools and terminology.
Translator · Example Translation Agency
- Translated annual reports and investor updates from German into English.
Qualifications and memberships
MA Translation · [University]
[Professional membership, as held]
Tools
Trados Studio · Phrase · Terminology management · Reviewing and editing · Style guides
How to structure your Translator CV
- Language pairs: one line under your name, with direction: 'Spanish and French into English'. Agencies filter on pair and direction first.
- Profile: your specialisms, the text types you handle and the tools you work in.
- Experience: agencies or clients, text types and rough volumes. Freelancers can group work under one freelance heading.
- Qualifications and memberships: translation qualifications and professional memberships, with the year.
- Tools: CAT, terminology and QA tools by name, because agencies ask for them by name.
No paid experience yet?
New translators are asked for proof, not years. Give an agency something it can check.
- Put your language pairs and direction first, and how you learned each language right after.
- Translate for a charity or an open-source project, and name the text type and length.
- List translation modules, your dissertation and the kinds of text you practised on.
- Offer a short sample translation in your cover letter instead of claiming 'excellent accuracy'.
Qualifications and checks to list
Each card links to the body that awards or regulates it. Check the current requirements there before you apply.
Diploma in Translation (DipTrans)
A Level 7, master's-level translation qualification regulated by Ofqual and awarded by CIOL Qualifications.
Source: Chartered Institute of Linguists ↗Certificate in Translation (CertTrans)
A Level 6, degree-level qualification that benchmarks practical working-level translation skills.
Source: Chartered Institute of Linguists ↗Common mistakes
Hiding the language pair
If the pair and direction are not in the first two lines, an agency's search may never find you.
Claiming every subject
'Legal, medical, technical, marketing and literary' reads as none of them. Pick the two or three you can prove.
Fluency without evidence
'Native-level' needs backing: where you grew up, studied or worked in the language.
Translator CV professional summary example
Open with two or three lines covering what you do, how long you have done it, and one measurable result.
Professional EN<>ES translator with 8 years specialising in legal and medical texts, translating 600,000+ words a year at a 99.8% quality-pass rate across agency QA reviews.
Core skills for a Translator CV
The skills worth naming in your skills section. Different from the ATS keywords below, which are the terms a parser scans for.
- English <> Spanish translation
- Legal & medical translation
- CAT tools (SDL Trados, memoQ)
- Terminology management
- Proofreading & QA
- Localisation
How to write a standout Translator CV
Three things hiring managers and applicant tracking systems look for — get these right and you clear the first screen.
Make language pairs unmissable
Agencies filter by pair and direction. State it clearly near the top, e.g. 'English to Spanish (native), Spanish to English', so you pass the first screen instantly.
Name your specialisms and CAT tools
Domain expertise commands higher rates. List 'legal, medical, technical' plus tools like SDL Trados and memoQ, which clients require by name.
Quantify volume and accuracy
Show you scale without losing quality: 'translated 600,000 words a year at a 99.8% QA pass rate'. Numbers reassure clients on both speed and precision.
ATS keywords for Translator CVs
Applicant tracking systems scan for role-specific terms before a human reads your CV. Weave the ones that genuinely apply to you into your summary, skills, and bullets.
Translator CV bullet point examples
Achievement-led bullets that show impact with numbers — concrete beats vague. Adapt them to your own results.
- Translated 600,000+ words a year of legal and medical content with a 99.8% quality-pass rate in agency QA reviews.
- Built and maintained a 5,000-term bilingual glossary in memoQ, improving terminology consistency across a key client account by 40%.
- Localised a SaaS platform into Spanish for a 12-market launch, delivering 80,000 words two weeks ahead of deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about writing a Translator CV.
What should a translator CV include?
Your language pairs and direction, native or fluent levels, subject specialisms, CAT tools like Trados and memoQ, certifications, and metrics on volume, accuracy, and turnaround.
What is the difference between a translator and interpreter CV?
A translator works with written text, so emphasise CAT tools, specialisms, and word volumes, while an interpreter works with live speech and should stress settings, modes, and certifications.
Do I need certification on a translator CV?
Certifications such as CIOL, ITI, or ATA strengthen your credibility and are sometimes required by agencies and courts, so list them prominently alongside your language pairs.
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