Should you translate job titles and degrees on your resume?
Translate enough for the employer to understand your background, but preserve enough official wording for the history to remain accurate and verifiable.
Start with these four rules
- Translate job titles when a clear equivalent helps the target reader.
- Keep the original title in parentheses when nuance or verification matters.
- Do not translate company and institution names unless they have an official translated form.
- Explain qualifications rather than declaring an unverified local equivalence.
1. Translate the function of a job title without promoting yourself
Internal and public-sector titles can be opaque outside their original language. Choose a target-language term that reflects the actual function, responsibility, and seniority. Add the official title in parentheses if the translation is approximate.
Use the experience bullets to remove remaining ambiguity. A reader will understand an unfamiliar title more easily when the first bullet clearly describes the scope, team, customers, or output.
- Exact equivalent exists: use it directly.
- Approximate equivalent: use a clear translation plus the official title.
- Internal branded title: lead with the functional role and retain the internal name second.
- Regulated title: verify legal or professional use before translating.
2. Describe degrees and credentials without inventing equivalence
Keep the institution’s official name and qualification. Add an English translation or brief level description when it helps, but avoid declaring that a degree is exactly equivalent to a local credential unless a recognized evaluator supports that claim.
For certifications, use the official issuer and credential name. Translate a descriptive label if necessary, while retaining registration numbers or official English names exactly.
The blunt versionTranslation should reduce confusion, not quietly award you a different degree.
3. Create a translation key and use it across the whole application
Record the chosen translations for titles, departments, degrees, and recurring technical terms. Use the same wording on the resume, LinkedIn profile, application form, and interview notes.
The free AI resume translator lets you keep a separate language version rather than overwriting the original. That makes side-by-side verification easier and protects the official source wording for later forms or background checks.
4. Create the localized version in ResumeMaker.Online
Open the correct source or tailored resume and select Translate. Choose a target locale, or Other Language, and ResumeMaker.Online saves and opens a new translated document while leaving the original in My Resumes.
Review titles, credentials, terminology, expanded text, page breaks, custom sections, and the optional cover letter on the live canvas. Resume content language remains separate from interface language. After export, keep the localized application in the Job Applications Tracker and use the same target-language positioning in the LinkedIn® Optimizer where appropriate.
Translate the resume without flattening the career context.
Create a second-language version, keep titles and achievements accurate, and review terminology in the structure where recruiters will read it.
Translate my resumeFrequently asked questions
Can I change my job title to make it understandable?
You can use a clear functional equivalent, but do not increase seniority or change the nature of the role. Preserve the official title in parentheses when the equivalence is approximate.
Should I translate university names?
Usually keep the official institution name. Use its official English name if one exists, and add a short explanation only when necessary.
How should I list a foreign degree?
State the official degree and institution, add an accurate translation, and explain level or field when useful. Do not claim formal local equivalence without verification.