1

freelance translator
 Communicated effectively with clients to establish scope and requirements of translation,
following up after submission of work to confirm satisfaction and understanding. 
 Reviewed final works to spot and correct errors in punctuation, grammar and translation. 
 Translated any documents, preferably fictions and non-legal documents, from English to
Indonesian and vice versa. 
 Successfully met deadlines and managed high volumes of work. 
 Maintained knowledge of developments both in English and Indonesian language to
effectively review and update existing translations to conform to contemporary trends in
communication. 
 Consulted specialized dictionaries, thesauruses and reference books to identify closest
equivalents for nuanced terminology, words and phrases. 
 Attended training programs to improve professional knowledge and interpretation skills. 

freelance translator
 Manage and maintain clients’ schedules, routines and appointments in the foreign
country.
 Conduct market research, compile data from Bangladesh for the clients.
 Interpret product informations and purchasing policies and procedures to the foreign
clients. 
 Communicated effectively with clients to establish scope and requirements of translation,
following up after submission of work to confirm satisfaction and understanding

freelance translator
 Translate official documents as a sworn translator.
 Translate various materials from English into Arabic and vice versa, covering a wide
range of specialties, including legal texts such as contracts, agreements and bylaws;
literary texts such as press, education, and fiction; technical texts such as brochures,
manuals and bills of quantities, etc.
  Attend meetings held between Iraqi and foreign companies to maintain the best
communication through conducting consecutive interpretation.  
 Proofread, edit, and revise materials translated into Arabic by others.  

4
freelance translator
 Providing oral translations and interpretations for  clients during events, successfully
maintaining pace with native speakers to deliver real-time comprehension
 Communicating effectively with clients to establish scope and requirements of
translation, following up after submission of work to confirm satisfaction and
understanding;
 Provided quality translation of GCG training and promo materials 
 Proofread and edited texts 

freelance translator
  Translation of texts from English to Portuguese (vice versa) on various subjects for
clients on freelance platforms. 
  Working on campus specifically with English to Portuguese translation of psychology
technical bibliography. 
 Translate in-game language from English to Burmese.
 Work together with other translators as a team to finish the translations right on time to
catch up with the game’s updates.

freelance translator
 Translated labeling materials of fertilizers and insecticides.
 Proofread and edited the material in Ukrainian and Russian languages.
 Discussed translation requirements with the client and determined any fees to be charged
for services provided.
 Provide translations for various documents such as presentations and e-mail
correspondence as a freelance translator outside of my full-time job. 

freelance translator/reviewer
 Translate and review help and marketing articles and materials from English to
Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) and from Simplified Chinese (China) to Traditional
Chinese (Taiwan) for major IT and consumer electronics  companies. 
 Translate texts, projects and documents from English to Polish and from Polish to
English.
 Proofread translated texts for grammar, spelling and punctuation accuracy.
 Convert text and audio recordings from one language to one or more others. 
8

freelance translator
 Translator , proofreader, editor highly enthusiastic professional with an editorial-mind in
German Linguistics transforming the way brands interact through service
 Proofread completed translations to catch and fix punctuation, grammatical and
translation errors
 Provided full German to English and vice versa translation services
 Used knowledge of cultural background to understand idiomatic meanings of specific
expressions

freelance translator
 Translated General and Official documents from English to French.
 Reviewed final works to spot and correct errors in punctuation, grammar and translation.
 Checked and corrected grammatical and spelling errors in diverse documents.
 Researched content and grammatical issues to check accuracy of information.
 Replicated the flow, style and overall meaning of the original texts. (Post-Editing MT)

10

freelance translator/transcriptionist
 Translated caption files in English and Turkish language
 Ensured final projects are complete and without errors in both the languages 
 Delivered accurate transcriptions of audio materials, such as meetings, interviews, reports
and forums.
 Audio translation from Iraqi dialect for different cities in Iraq to English, mostly focused
on Mosul, Basra, and Baghdad. 

11

freelance translator
 Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, 
maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
 Read written materials, such as legal documents, or news reports, and rewrite material
into English language or vice versa.
 Translate texts ranging widely in length and genre
 Use translation memory systems to work cooperatively with other translators on
translating a single document split into sections
12

freelance translator/interpreter
 Read written materials, such as articles, scientific works, or product specifications, and
rewrote the material into Ukrainian/Russian languages.
 Checked translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate
and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
 Referred to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and
computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
 Checked original texts or conferred with authors to ensure that translations retain the
content, meaning, and feeling of the original material.
 Compiled information on content and context of information to be translated and on
intended audience.
 Translated messages consecutively into Ukrainian/Russian languages, orally, maintaining
message content, context, and style as much as possible.

13

freelance translator
  Translation and editing of texts for cultural magazines, university papers, and thesis,
reference and cover letters, legal and medical documents.
 Reviewed final works to spot and correct errors in punctuation, grammar, and
translation. 

Summary
Professional translator with good experience; exceptional collaborative and interpersonal skills; dynamic
team player with well-developed written and verbal communication abilities highly skilled in client and
vendor relations and negotiations; talented at building and maintaining “win-win” partnerships;
passionate and inventive creator of innovative marketing strategies and campaigns; accustomed to
performing in deadline-driven environments with an emphasis on working within budget requirements.
Common sense, empathy. Detail oriented, highly organized, appreciate human relations, ability to work
a flexible schedule.

Work Experience

Freelance Translator

Freelance

 Translating and molding documentaries and drama series for dubbing in both formal and
colloquial dialects.
 Documentaries, where each episode is between 7,000-9,000 words, with topics covering
physics, math, space, and science, among others.
  Press releasing, corporate literature, marketing collateral, and other PR-related content.

Nu Skin Enterprises

 Worked with the Lead Translator to translate, edit and proofread all customer-facing
documents.
 Worked with the Lead Translator to translate, edit and proofread all field
communications.
 Met and managed set translation deadlines.
 Creatively conveyed French marketing messaging to be used during promotional
campaigns.
 Assisted in managing and maintaining the Translation Log.

Junior Translator

Pfizer

 Translated, edited and proofread marketing, sales, and promotional materials, web copy
decks and literature for the medical professional.
 Created and built the company's first CAT tool/software and database (Logiterm).
 Managed the linguistics mailbox and dispersed proofreading and translation projects
while ensuring deadlines were being met and procedures were being followed.

Specializations
 Editing
 Corporate Content Writing
 Translation
 Visual Communication Creation
 Localization
 Social Media Content Writing and
 Event Planning
Translation
 Project Management

Skills

 High level of initiative.

 Excellent content writing skills.
 Well developed translation skills.
 Strong sense of urgency and self-confidence.
 Proficient with InDesign & Illustrator graphic design tools.
 Knowledgeable with Share Point site design and configuration.
 Proficient with Microsoft Office tools and Microsoft Office Suite.
 Proficient with CAD software (Logiterm, FlowFit, Trados, and TransStudio).
The 10 essential components to writing a successful freelance
translator CV – and how to maximise the impact of each
1. A CV Title that’s succinct and persuasive
You have about 20 seconds to convince the agency you’re just what they need – that’s about how

long they’ll spend on their initial assessment of your CV.

So sow the seed right here.

Your title should say “CV of”, your name, “translator” or “translation”, your languages and
specialization if relevant.

That’s already a lot of text, so space is at a premium. But if at all possible you also want to
convey your key strength and the value you can provide the agency.

Here is our tip for 2 possible ways to do that:

– Add an adjective of descriptive phrase
– Use a subtitle

Examples:

CV of Lee Gill Beagle

Spanish to English Legal Translation Expert
Capitalizing on 10 years in legal practice

Resume of Ova D Hill

30 year Russian to English Translation Veteran
There’s no substitute for experience

CV of Frank O’Fyle
French to English Translator with a Gift for Words
Producing beautiful expression, always
2. Prominent Contact Details: be easy to contact

Don’t make the agency scratch around to find your phone number. Unless you’re an absolutely
must have, they’re probably not going to bother.

I favour including a prominent Contact Details section near the top of your CV. Your reader will
likely just skim across it, but will at least register where those details are to come back to later.

But it can be anywhere – just make sure your details are readily noticeable and easy to find. In a
footer is good.

3. Snapshot Bio: tailored to what the agency values

Imagine this is the only thing the agency will read after your title.
Aim to get everything you need to convey for a compelling offer into a couple of lines.

Here’s one way to do this:

1. Crunch your years of study and experience down into one or two sentences.
2. Weave in your major strength, the reason the agency absolutely has to work with you.
3. Re-work your wording until it’s crystal clear what your offer involves and you’re convinced the
agency will sit up and take notice.

Hot Tip:
Don’t be scared to jazz it up a bit so it’s clearly a sale’s pitch, without going over the top.
The agency wants you to clearly state what you can offer them, and if you can demonstrate a
flair with words, all the better.

After all, they want CVs from translators who are skilled wordsmiths.

Just make sure anything you write is backed up with solid evidence elsewhere in your CV.
Marketers say you need to sell benefits, not list features. So you don’t translate texts, but might
provide clients with peace of mind (that their translation will be first class). Or you help them
solve a problem.

Our advice: don’t get hung up too much with trying to stress benefits when targeting agencies
though. Agencies get it, they know the indicators of high quality, and will look for those.

But it might be something to bear in mind for your direct clients, where it can be an advantage to
spell things out a bit more.

Marketing speak
I talk about your strong point and the benefit you can bring to the agency.

Here are some other marketing terms for the same concept:

– your value proposition
– your USP – unique selling point / unique selling proposition
– your point of difference

It’s all about looking at things from your clients’ point of view, and tailoring your
communications accordingly.

4. Summarise your Translator Qualifications and Study

A bare bones outline of your tertiary and related qualifications is all that’s required.
Here are two key tips to avoid frustrating an agency and increase the chances of your CV being
accepted:

Avoid excessive detail. Don’t list the individual papers you took or marks you got for degree
courses. And only discuss course content if it’s unclear how the qualification relates to
translation.

Don’t include lower level studies. Forget secondary studies, and unrelated one-off courses.

Definitely mention any additional translation-related papers and courses though. Summarise if
there are a whole bunch of them.

Others disagree but I favour including other degree qualifications unrelated to your current
translation work.

It shows you’re more accomplished, have additional subject knowledge, and are probably a
smarter cookie than might otherwise be perceived. Which all helps nudge the agency towards the
conclusion yours is a CV from a top notch translator.

5. Prove your expertise with your Translation Experience and Achievements

This is where you provide the agency with all the evidence they need to show you’re a skilled
translator, linguist and writer.

Things to include:

 your translation experience

 relevant employment history
 publications
 how you developed your language skills/technical expertise if that’s not obvious
 selective quotes from client testimonials or references
 anything else that demonstrates your skillset/experience or supports your bio statements

As regards your translation experience, the agency will want to know how much you’ve done, in
what subject areas, and who for.
So group your previous work into subject areas, client types, project lengths, whatever works
best in your circumstances.

It’s important you summarize (don’t write a long list of individual projects!) and quantify –
always provide numbers.

Use subheadings for the different topics as applicable.

Make sure you substantiate everything you’ve written in your bio statement – leave nothing to
chance.

If you say something and don’t back it up, the agency will wonder why and may doubt it.

There have been many great translator discussions on the categories and content to include in
your CV, and whether to follow a chronological or skills based structure, etc.

Opinions differ, and all the various options have merit.

Don’t take what we’re recommending here as gospel, to be followed at all costs.

If a different structure and format works better for you, go for it.

The key thing is to ensure the agency can quickly and easily find all the key information it wants,
and you back up with evidence everything you say.

6. List Translation-specific Tools & Software

This is important information, yet many translators inexplicably omit it from their CV.

If you don’t tell the agency you use TM software they’ll probably assume you don’t. So make
sure you spell it out.

Don’t mention programs all translators are expected to use – Word, Excel etc.

Do include DTP expertise.

7. Your Freelance Translation Rates: consider a price range

Some people advocate not including your rates, believing that’s a matter for subsequent

negotiation.
To me that’s a risky strategy when targeting agencies.

Agencies typically want to spend as little time as possible assessing freelance translator CVs, so
they sure don’t want to have to spend extra time asking for your rates.

And often their software won’t accept new translator entries without pricing anyway.

Many agencies simply won’t consider a CV that doesn’t state the translator’s rates.

To cover eventualities, consider:

– giving a (fairly narrow) pricing range
– adding phrasing like “Rates are valid as at [date], and may be subject to future review”

8. Layout and Formatting: show you’re a pro

All agencies will have seen the good, the bad and the ugly with freelance translator CV

presentation.

A design lacking in appeal, or formatting that’s inconsistent, presents you as someone not that
concerned about appearance. Which might make the agency wonder how much attention you’ll
pay to getting your translations just right.

On the other hand …

A good design with good formatting suggests someone whose work is likely to be of
professional standard.

And of course …

A stunning design that really catches the eye marks you as someone who pays particular
attention to detail and places a high value on high quality presentation. Which totally nails what
the agency is looking for.

It’s worth the effort to really hunt around and find a template with striking visual appeal.
9. Flawless Wording: what they’ll expect
This can’t be stressed enough. It’s vital you pass the perfect wording test.

You’re in the language business, so how do you imagine an agency will view typos, poor
punctuation or inelegant wording? As evidence you’re not quality focused and don’t pay close
attention to detail. Not the qualities of a professional translator, so instant delete.

As Marta’s guide says, your CV “will be scrutinised by merciless grammar and punctuation
titans”.

Exactly! Expect the agency to be pedantic, nit-picking. They’ll be on the lookout for any tiny
mistake.

Have a native speaker review your wording if it’s in your second language.

10. CV Length: short and concise

Don’t get too hung up on length – it shouldn’t be a major focus.

The essential thing is to write in everything that’s needed to demonstrate your skills and
experience, and nothing extra. And do it concisely.

Achieve that and you’ll have a perfect length CV.

If it’s heading towards more than a page or say 400 – 500 words, ask yourself if everything
you’ve written is really necessary. And work hard on condensing wording down to the bare
bones.

If the agency is only going to give your masterpiece a small chunk of their time, you sure don’t
want that time gobbled up on what they see as too much detail or content that’s not directly
relevant.

Wrap up
These guidelines are designed to help you write a translator CV that:
  Places all the key information the agency wants right in front of their eyes
 Presents your info in a logical order
 Keeps it brief for best bang for buck with the minimal time the agency’s likely to spend on it
 Impresses with your professionalism – layout, faultless wording, perhaps a touch of marketing
flair

Do this and yours will be light years ahead of pretty much all other freelance translator CVs the
agency will receive.

In addition to this mandatory information, we have to consider that someone looking for a
translation service provider is interested in knowing the following:

1. Professional experience – Short and concise. You can use graphics, yes. It is important
for the recruiter to know how long you have been a translator, your largest clients and the
types of text you work with. E.g.: 2012 – 2015 translation of technical texts. Client:
Volkswagen. Total: Approximately 250,000 words.
2. Working languages – List the languages you know and the ones you work with. Please
don’t include languages that you don’t know well.
3. Academic background – Course, University, year. Keep it simple. Include
extracurricular courses like online courses, etc.
4. Areas of work – The areas you are most experienced in. You can also use graphics for
this one.
5. Tools used* – Although end clients don’t care much about it, companies do, so it may be
important to list the software you work with. Not only CAT tools, but also any other
software that may be useful like OCR, photoshop, word, etc.
6. Availability / output/day* – May also be important so that the client knows how many
words you are able to do per day.