Resume guide · Job Zone 4

Interpreters and Translatorsresume guide.

Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another. A strong Interpreters and Translators resume shows speaking, active listening and reading comprehension, and names the tools you have worked with, such as Hypertext markup language HTML, Microsoft Access and Microsoft Outlook.

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01Also called

O*NET
American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL Interpreter)Court InterpreterEducational InterpreterInterpreterLinguistMedical InterpreterSign Language InterpreterSpanish InterpreterSpanish TranslatorTranslator

02Skills employers expect

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Importance is how much the skill matters to the job; level is how much of it the job demands. Both are worth naming on the resume, in this order.

SkillImportanceLevel
SpeakingVery highAdvanced
Active ListeningVery highAdvanced
Reading ComprehensionHighAdvanced
WritingHighAdvanced
Critical ThinkingHighIntermediate
MonitoringHighIntermediate
Active LearningHighIntermediate
Judgment and Decision MakingHighIntermediate
Service OrientationHighIntermediate
Social PerceptivenessHighIntermediate

03Knowledge areas

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  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Education and Training
  • Administrative
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Communications and Media
  • Psychology

04Common responsibilities

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Ordered by importance. Each one is a bullet waiting for a result and a number.

  1. Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
  2. Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
  3. Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
  4. Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
  5. Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
  6. Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
  7. Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors.
  8. Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience.

05Software and tools

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28 tools across 13 categories. The six largest categories are below; Hot marks a hot technology, In demand a tool employers ask for most often.

Foreign language software15
  • AceTools.biz Ace Translator
  • Adapt It
  • AmoK Translator
  • Ashkon Translation Pad
  • Babylon Online Translator
  • DocTranslate
  • ExcelTrans Translator
  • Google Translate Client
  • HunterSoft Business Translator
  • jalada GmbH Just Translate
  • Language Engineering Corporation Translate Pro
  • Lingoes
  • OmegaT
  • Smart Link Corporation ImTranslator
  • Stormdance CatsCradle
+ 10 more
Web platform development software2
Data base user interface and query software1
Dictionary software1
  • Electronic dictionaries
Electronic mail software1
Internet browser software1
Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software1
  • Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
Mobile messaging service software1
  • Intrado SchoolMessenger
Office suite software1
Presentation software1
Project management software1
  • Productivity softwareIn demand
Spreadsheet software1
Word processing software1

06Education and preparation

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Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
55% of surveyed workers. Others report Master's Degree (28%) and High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) (8%).
Preparation level
Job Zone 4 · Considerable preparation
Usually a four-year degree and several years of related experience.

07Putting it on your resume

ResumeXRays guidance
BEE · How to show it

Lead with what you built. For a Job Zone 4 role, hiring managers and parsers both look for outcomes before credentials. Put two or three results at the top of each job entry, with the scale or effect stated plainly.

Name the tools exactly. This occupation is heavy on named software. A skills section that says "Hypertext markup language HTML, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software" matches more job descriptions than a general phrase. Use the spelling employers use.

Show active listening and reading comprehension, not just speaking. Active listening and reading comprehension rank close to speaking for this occupation. One bullet per role that shows a decision, a tradeoff or a result covers them.

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