How to Translate Your CV or Resume for a Job Abroad

To translate your CV for a job abroad, translate the file itself (ideally the Word version) so the layout survives, then spend 20–30 minutes localizing it: adjust job titles, dates, length, personal details and degree names to what employers in that country expect. A word-for-word translation is a good starting point, but it rarely reads like a CV written by a local applicant.

This guide walks through both steps: getting a clean translation in the same layout, and the changes that make it look at home in the new market.

Step 1: Start from the right file

• Use the Word (DOCX) version of your CV if you have it. It translates cleanly and stays easy to edit. (Our guide to translating a Word document explains why.)
• If you only have a PDF, translate the PDF and download the editable DOCX too, so you can fix line breaks. Designed two-column CV templates are the hardest layouts for any translator.
• Make a copy and keep your original. You will probably maintain one CV per language.

Step 2: Translate the CV, keeping the layout

Drop the file into a document translator that returns the same format, such as DropTranslate's CV translator. It keeps your headings, bullet points and table-style sections in place, so you get a translated CV in the same design rather than a block of text.

About privacy: a CV contains your name, contact details and work history. Before uploading it anywhere, check how long the tool keeps your file and whether uploaded text may be used to train AI models. On DropTranslate, the upload screen and our privacy page say this plainly, uploads are deleted once the translation is done, and the translated file can be removed with Delete now.

Step 3: Localize what a translation can't

This is where your CV goes from "translated" to "written for this market". Conventions vary by country and industry, so treat the points below as questions to check, not rules.

Job titles

Job titles rarely translate literally. A "Sales Associate", "Account Executive" or "Software Engineer II" may have a common local equivalent, or employers there may use the English title anyway (often the case in tech and international companies). Search local job ads for your role and use the title employers actually advertise.

Name of the document

What's called a "resume" in the US is usually a "CV" in the UK, Ireland and much of Europe, and many languages have their own word (for example Lebenslauf in German or currículum in Spanish). Use the term from the job ad.

Length and level of detail

Expectations differ: some markets favour a short one- or two-page CV, others expect more detail, and academic CVs are a separate genre with publications and grants. Look at local job ads and, if you can, at CVs from people already working in that country.

Personal details and photo

Whether to include a photo, date of birth, nationality or marital status varies a lot between countries. In some it's common, in others it's discouraged, and in several places anti-discrimination rules shape what employers ask for. When in doubt, leave out anything not needed to do the job, and follow the instructions in the application.

Dates, addresses and phone numbers

• Write dates in a format nobody can misread. "03/04/2024" is 3 April in much of the world and March 4 in the US; "Apr 2024" or "04/2024" avoids the problem.
• Add the international dialling code to your phone number (+44, +49, +1…).
• If you're moving, say so: "Relocating to Lisbon, available from March".

Degrees and grades

Degree names and grading scales don't map one to one between countries. Keep the original name of your degree, add a short description in the target language, and give your grade in context (for example "8.7/10, top 10% of class"), rather than inventing an equivalent. Some employers and many universities use credential-evaluation services for official comparisons.

If an employer, licensing body or university asks for certified translations of your diplomas or transcripts, that's a separate request: a machine-translated CV doesn't replace it. See certified, sworn or machine translation.

Skills and keywords

Many companies screen CVs with software that looks for keywords from the job ad. Use the same wording as the ad in the target language for your key skills, tools and certifications. Leave product names (Excel, Salesforce, Python, AutoCAD) untranslated.

Step 4: Proofread like a recruiter

• Read it out loud or use a text-to-speech tool. Awkward phrasing is easier to hear than to see.
• Check every number: dates, percentages, revenue figures, phone numbers.
• Check names: companies, schools and products should stay in their original form.
• Ask a native speaker to read it once, ideally someone who works in your field. Even a 10-minute read catches phrasing that sounds translated. Is machine translation good enough? has more ways to check a translation.

Don't forget the cover letter

A cover letter is more personal than a CV, so machine translation is a starting point, not the finish. Translate it, then rewrite the opening and closing in your own words and adapt the tone. Formal and informal styles differ a lot between languages.

Frequently asked questions

Should I send my CV in English or in the local language?

Follow the job ad. If the ad is written in the local language, a CV in that language is usually the safer choice, unless the role is clearly English-speaking. If you're unsure, you can ask the recruiter which they prefer.

Can I use one translated CV for several countries that share a language?

Often yes for the translation itself, but localize the details. Spanish for Spain and for Mexico, or Portuguese for Portugal and Brazil, differ in vocabulary and conventions.

Is it acceptable to use AI to translate a CV?

Using a translator as a starting point is common. What matters is that the final CV is accurate and reads naturally, so review it yourself and, ideally, with a native speaker.

Summary

Translate your CV as a file so the layout survives, then localize: titles from local job ads, unambiguous dates, an international phone number, degrees described in context, and keywords taken from the ad. Proofread every number and name, and get a native speaker to read it once.

Drop your CV into DropTranslate to get a translated copy in the same layout, ready to polish.