Resume Translation: How to Translate Your Resume Right

By Mustafa Tarabya, founder of CVBooster · Published 2026-10-07 · Updated 2026-10-07

10 min read

Resume translation means rewriting your resume in the language of the job and adapting it to that country's rules. For a US job that means US job titles, your degree under its original name with a short English note, US dates and phone numbers, and no photo or birth date. A word for word translation fails because the original layout travels with it, and a US recruiter reads a German or Mexican layout as a document not written for them. Harvard's career office puts it plainly: "Resume guidelines can vary from country to country." Below: what changes in a translation, six complete translated resumes tagged by level, how to check a machine translation, and when you need a certified translation instead. Written by Mustafa Tarabya, who hired for his own company, read every application himself and now writes CVBooster's guides.

You ran your resume through a translator, and now your ten years as a plant engineer read like a recipe someone typed with oven mitts on. The words are English. The resume is not.

The first example is the most common case: a recent graduate translating a Spanish resume from Mexico into a one page US resume.

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What changes when you translate a resume

Translating a resume is closer to rewriting it for a new reader than to translating a letter. The same holds for CV translation for the UK, Ireland or Europe; only the target conventions differ. Change these seven things, in this order:

• Job titles. Use the title a US posting would use for the same work, and keep the original title in brackets only when it is a protected or well known title in your field, such as Diplom-Ingenieur.
• Degrees. Keep the original degree name, add the length and the field in English, and do not claim a US equivalence you have not had evaluated.
• Personal details. A US resume leaves out the photo, birth date, marital status and nationality. Harvard's list of what not to do includes "Include a picture" and "Include age or gender".
• Dates and numbers. Write months as words or use the US order, and convert currency figures or name the currency.
• Contact line. A US phone number if you have one, the city you live in now, and your work authorization only if the posting asks.
• Summary. Many CVs from Europe and Latin America open with a long personal profile. Cut it to three or four lines in the US style; the CareerOneStop resume guide says a summary "highlights your top skills and accomplishments related to the job, using keywords from the job posting."
• Length. Most US resumes for early and mid career are one page; the two page resume guide explains when a second page earns its place.

Grades: give the scale, never invent a GPA

A grade of 1,7 means very good in Germany and almost nothing to a US hiring manager. Do not convert it into a GPA you were never given. Give the grade with its scale, or a plain description, and add an official conversion only if you have one.

• "Note: 1,7 (gut)" becomes "Final grade 1.7 on the German scale of 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (lowest pass)"
• "Mention Bien" becomes "Passed with mention bien (second highest honors level), France"
• "110/110 e lode" becomes "110/110 with honors (highest possible mark), Italy"

For the differences between the formats themselves, see European CV vs American resume, and for the word choice in the title, CV vs resume.

Translate your resume to English: five more examples

Each example is a complete resume after translation. The people and employers are invented; replace them with your own exact titles, dates and numbers.

Translating a US resume into another language

The same rules apply in reverse when you take a US resume abroad. The example below is a US resume translated into Spanish for a job in Madrid. It keeps the order of the US version and changes the rest: Spanish job titles, a Spanish style header, and the dates the reader expects.

Using a resume translator tool or AI

A resume translate tool, including AI chat tools, gives you a fast first draft, and that is all it gives you. Run the translation, then check every line against this list before you send it:

• Job titles came out as literal translations instead of the title a US posting uses.
• Degree names were translated into a US degree you do not hold. Keep the original name.
• False friends slipped in, such as a Spanish "licenciatura" becoming "license" or a German "Hochschule" becoming "high school".
• Company names got translated. Never translate a company's legal name.
• Numbers and dates kept the original format, such as 03.04.2024 or 1.250,00.
• Personal details such as a photo, birth date or marital status survived the translation.

Then read it aloud. If a sentence sounds like nobody in the US would say it, rewrite it in plain English. The resume summary examples show the register a US summary uses.

When you need a certified translation

Your resume does not need a certified translation; you write it, or have it written, in the language of the job. Certified translations are for official documents. For immigration filings, the federal regulation at 8 CFR 103.2 says: "Any document containing foreign language submitted to USCIS shall be accompanied by a full English language translation which the translator has certified as complete and accurate, and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate from the foreign language into English." Reference letters written in Spanish for a USCIS file are official documents in this sense; the recommendation letter in Spanish page shows one with its translator's certification.

Degrees are a separate step. An employer or licensing board that needs to know what your foreign degree is worth will ask for a credential evaluation, not a translated resume. NACES describes its members as organizations "that provide credential evaluation services for individuals who have completed education outside the United States". Once you have an evaluation, add one short line under the degree, such as "evaluated as equivalent to a US bachelor's degree", and keep the report ready to send. If you translate other people's documents for a living, your own resume is a different page: see the translator resume.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I translate my resume into English?

Rewrite it rather than translate it line by line. Use US job titles, keep your degree's original name with a short English description, convert dates and numbers to US format, remove the photo, birth date and marital status, and cut the profile to a three or four line summary. Then have a fluent English speaker read it once.

Can I use Google Translate or AI to translate my resume?

Yes, for a first draft. Then check every job title, degree name, company name, date and number by hand, because translation tools turn titles and degrees into literal phrases and keep the original format. Read the result aloud and rewrite any sentence that a US recruiter would not write themselves.

Do I need a certified translation of my resume?

No. A resume is your own document, written in the language of the job, so nobody certifies it. Certified translations are for official documents such as diplomas, transcripts and civil records, for example when you file with USCIS under 8 CFR 103.2 or apply for a professional license.

How do I list a foreign degree on a translated resume?

Write the degree in its original language, then add its length and field in English in brackets, the university and the country. Do not rename it as a US degree. If you have a credential evaluation, add one line saying what it was evaluated as, and keep the report ready if the employer asks.

Should I translate job titles on my resume?

Yes. Use the title a US employer would post for the same work, such as Accountant or Design Engineer, so the screening software and the recruiter recognize it. Keep the original title in brackets only when it carries weight in your field or when your references will use it.

Should I use a CV translation service?

For most job applications you can translate your own CV or resume and have a native speaker in your field check it. Use a professional service for senior roles, regulated professions such as law or medicine, and official documents. Diplomas and transcripts for immigration filings usually need a certified translation, which the CV itself does not.

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