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How do I translate my resume into another language without losing ATS keywords?

Do not translate the keywords; look them up. Collect three to five postings for your role in the target language and note the terms they repeat: the job title, required skills, tools and degrees. Then translate your resume and swap in those exact terms. Tool and software names usually stay in English. Have a native speaker read the result.

By Ruubu Editorial Team · How we write and check these pages

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Why does a word-for-word translation lose keywords?

Because recruiters search with the words their own market uses, and those are often not the dictionary translation. A German posting for a project manager may say Projektleiter, not Projektmanager. A French one may want chef de projet. A translation can be correct and still miss the term that a recruiter types into the search box.

Job titles are the worst case. Many markets keep English titles for some roles (Product Owner, Data Scientist, Key Account Manager in German-speaking countries) and translate others. Only the postings tell you which.

Which terms change when you translate a resume into German?

Job titles, degree names, section headings and soft skills change. Tool names, programming languages and certifications usually stay as they are. The table shows typical cases. Check each one against postings for your own role, because the right term depends on the field and sometimes on the company.

English resume terms and how German postings often write them
English resumeOften in German postingsNote
Work experienceBerufserfahrungSection heading
Project managerProjektleiter or ProjektmanagerCheck which one your postings use
Bachelor's degree in Business AdministrationBachelor in Betriebswirtschaftslehre (BWL)Write the abbreviation too
Customer serviceKundenserviceSome postings use Kundenbetreuung
Excel, SAP, Python, SalesforceUnchangedTool names are not translated
Driver's licenseFührerschein Klasse BName the class, as German postings do

Format changes too: German CVs list dates as month and year (03/2022 to 06/2024), use a tabular layout, and often include a photo. The German CV format guide covers the rules with official sources.

How do you translate a resume step by step and keep the keywords?

Work from postings to resume, not the other way round. Build a short term list from real local postings first, translate the content second, and swap in the term list third. Then fix the format for that country and get a native reader. The order stops a correct but unsearchable translation from slipping through.

  1. Collect postings

    Three to five recent postings for your role, in the target language and country.

  2. List the repeated terms

    Job title, tools, methods, degrees, certifications. Note the exact spelling.

  3. Translate the content

    Translate meaning, not word order. Keep every fact, date and number identical.

  4. Swap in the market's terms

    Replace your translated terms with the ones from your list where they describe the same thing.

  5. Adapt the format

    Date style, section names, photo and personal data norms of that country.

  6. Get a native read

    One native speaker in your field catches what no tool does: the term that sounds slightly wrong.

How can you check the translated resume before sending it?

Paste one of the local postings and your translated resume side by side and check that every repeated term appears where it is true. Then check the file itself: export a PDF, copy all its text into a plain editor and confirm the order and special characters (ä, é, ç, ş) survived. Broken characters are an encoding problem.

The Ruubu resume checker reads resumes in other languages too. English, Turkish, German, French, Spanish and Portuguese resumes get all 14 checks; a resume in any other language gets 13, because the action-verb check needs word lists for the language. The resume translation guide covers when to keep an English version as well.

What does Ruubu's resume translation do?

Ruubu translates your resume into 16 languages (Resume Pass and Pro) and keeps the layout, sections and spacing. It localizes phrasing and conventions, not just words, and it conveys exactly what your original says: same roles, dates and results. Your original resume stays as it is, and you review the translation before you send it.

To aim the translation at one posting, tailor the translated copy to it, or swap in that posting's exact terms in the editor, so your resume uses the words recruiters in that country search for. Details on the resume translation page.

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Frequently asked questions

Should I translate my resume or write a new one?

Translate if the structure already fits the target country. Rewrite if the country expects a different format, such as a tabular German CV from a narrative US resume.

Can I send an English resume to a company in Germany?

If the posting is in English, yes. If it is in German, send a German CV unless the posting says English is fine.

Do I translate the names of my previous employers?

No. Company names stay as they are. You can add a few words explaining what a lesser-known company does.

How do I translate my degree name?

Use the local equivalent where one exists, and keep the original in brackets. For formal recognition, some countries have an official service; Germany's is described on anerkennung-in-deutschland.de.

Is machine translation good enough for a resume?

It is a good first draft. It misses market-specific terms and job titles, so the postings check and a native read still matter.

Should my LinkedIn profile be in the new language too?

LinkedIn lets you add a profile in a second language. Recruiters in that market then see the version in their language.

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