👆 Tap any template to see the same resume in a different design
George Ashton
Translator and Interpreter
✉ silvia.mena@email.com📱 +1 555 2098📍 El Paso, TX
Profile
English-Spanish Translator and Interpreter with 9 years of practice. Translate legal, technical and commercial documentation and interpret at corporate meetings and training sessions, at roughly 4,000 words per day.
Skills
English-Spanish translation
Consecutive interpreting
Legal translation
Technical translation
CAT tools (Trados)
Review and editing
Education
B.A. in Languages — English State University · 2016
Legal Translation Certificate Northland University · 2021
Languages
SpanishNative
EnglishBilingual
Professional Experience
Translator and Interpreter
Professional Language Services · 2019 – Present
Translates legal, technical and commercial documentation at roughly 4,000 words per day.
Provides consecutive interpreting at corporate meetings, audits and training sessions with international participants.
Reviews and edits translations from other professionals before final client delivery.
Maintains client-specific glossaries and translation memories to hold terminology consistency.
Junior Translator
Certified Translation Office · 2017 – 2019
Translated personal and academic documents for immigration and study applications.
Supported preparation of certified translations under each institution's requirements.
Built reference glossaries for the office's recurring projects.
Certifications
Certified Translator — Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2018
💡 Why this resume works
Declared volume: 4,000 words per day — the metric of the trade.
Named specialities: legal, technical and commercial, not "general translation".
Professional tool: Trados, a sector keyword.
Good practice: client glossaries and translation memories.
Official certification: required for legally valid translations.
How to write a translator resume that proves specialization and volume
Translation and interpreting are distinct trades sharing one title: one is written and allows revision, the other is spoken and irreversible. Whoever is hiring needs to know which you do, in which language pair, in which direction and on what subject matter. A resume saying "English-Spanish translator" without specialization or volume allows no evaluation, because translating a technical manual and a contract are different jobs.
What agencies and direct clients look for
Language pair and direction. English > Spanish, Spanish > English, or others. Direction matters: most of us translate better into our native language, and saying so builds trust.
Subject specialization. Legal, medical, technical, financial, audiovisual, software localization, literary. It determines rate and hiring.
Volume and throughput. Words per day, projects managed, approximate annual volume. It measures real experience.
CAT tools. Trados Studio, memoQ, Phrase, Wordfast, translation memory and glossary management. Required by nearly every agency.
Certification and interpreting. ATA certification, court or medical interpreter certification, state credentials, simultaneous, consecutive or liaison interpreting experience.
Mistakes that get a translator resume rejected
Not specifying subject matter. "English-Spanish translator" with no field competes with thousands. Specialization defines your value.
Omitting CAT tools. Agencies work with translation memories. Without Trados or equivalent, many will not consider your resume.
Any error in the resume. It is a direct work sample. An error on a translator's resume is immediately disqualifying — in both languages.
Blurring translation and interpreting. Different competencies. If you do not interpret, do not imply it: it surfaces on the first assignment.
No rates or capacity if freelance. For freelance work, agencies need your daily capacity and typical turnaround.
Keywords translation ATS filters look for
Use them only where they are true for you: the filter searches for them, but the recruiter verifies them in the interview.
Want to know whether your current resume uses these keywords and whether ATS filters can read it? Analyze it free — three checks a day, no sign-up.
If you are starting as a translator
You need two things: a specialization and proof of quality. Choose a field where you have prior knowledge — if you studied law, medicine or engineering, that is your competitive advantage — and build a glossary and samples in that area. Learn a CAT tool: many offer academic licenses or free tiers, and without one agencies will not consider you. Prepare two or three translation samples of real texts in your specialty. And consider starting with machine translation post-editing (MTPE): it is the most accessible entry point today and builds volume and experience.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a translator resume with no experience?
Choose a specialization where you have prior knowledge, learn a CAT tool, and prepare two or three translation samples of real texts in that field.
Should I write translator, interpreter or both?
Only what you actually do. They are distinct competencies and interpreting is tested on the first assignment. If you do both, separate them clearly.
Is Trados essential?
For agency work, effectively yes. Translation memories are the industry standard and many agencies filter on that tool.
How do I state my language pair?
With direction and level: "English > Spanish (native)". Being honest about directionality builds more trust than offering both directions without qualification.
How much does certification matter?
ATA certification and court or medical interpreter credentials open higher-paying work and are required for many institutional clients. If you hold one, put it in the first section.
Your resume can look like this in 10 minutes
Answer 14 questions and the AI builds your resume from your real experience. Nothing invented.