CV Translator: Your CV in French, German or Spanish
Translate your CV in one click, then adapt it to the country where you’re applying.
- Native-quality translation into 30 languages in one click
- Adapted to the hiring conventions of the target country
- Layout and formatting kept, and still ATS-friendly
CV translation · noun
What is CV translation?
CV translation is a one-click feature that converts your CV into the language you choose, accurately. Translation handles the language. Enhancv’s localisation layer handles the rest: whether to add a photo, how long the document should be and which details local employers expect.
Pick a language and Enhancv does the rest. You’ll know what the job market you’re targeting expects, and the AI assistant helps you sharpen your application further. It’s free to start, the layout stays intact and the result is yours to edit.
Localisation is more than translation
A translation tool only translates. It can’t turn a UK CV into a German or French one, and a local recruiter spots the difference straight away. Enhancv applies the localisation each country needs, so your CV matches what employers there expect.
It works the other way round too. A CV written for Madrid or Berlin needs the same care before it reaches a hiring manager in Manchester or Dublin.
| Country | Photo | Typical length | Date format | Personal details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK and Ireland | Leave it off | 2 A4 pages | March 2024 or 03/2024 (day first in full dates) | Name, phone, email, town. No date of birth, marital status or nationality |
| France | Optional, less and less expected | 1 page, even with experience | 03/2024 or mars 2024 | Name, phone, email, town. Hobbies expected, date of birth rare |
| Germany | Common, a professional photo | 1 to 2 pages | 03/2024 or 03.2024 | Date of birth and nationality common, CV often dated and signed |
| Spain | Common | 1 to 2 pages | 03/2024 | Date of birth and ID number sometimes included |
| Netherlands | Optional, less common | 1 to 2 pages | 03-2024 or maart 2024 | Name, phone, email, town. Short profile and hobbies common, date of birth rare |
How to translate your CV into French or German in four steps
From English into another language or the other way round: Enhancv translates in both directions.
Think about the country, not just the language. Where you’re applying decides the photo, the length, the dates and the personal details on the page.
Build your CV in the language you prefer
Upload your existing CV to Enhancv, or start from scratch and write your CV with AI.
Choose the target language
Pick from 30 languages. Each country has its own CV conventions: Enhancv applies them for you and flags what to double-check.
Review your localised version
Check that job titles, qualifications and other details are properly adapted. The AI assistant answers your questions about local conventions.
Export and send your CV
Your layout stays intact and ATS-friendly. Export your localised CV as a PDF and start applying in that country.
Your CV layout stays intact through translation and localisation
Paste your CV into a general translation tool and you get translated text with the formatting stripped out. Sections, columns, spacing, fonts and colours are gone. You’re left pasting it all back into your original file by hand, and the layout can break depending on the file format.
Enhancv translates your content right on the page. Whichever ATS-friendly CV template you use, the layout and formatting adjust to the new text length. Your CV stays readable for recruiters and software alike.
An English CV runs 15 to 25% longer in German or Spanish, because words get longer and sentences stretch.
That’s enough to push a full first page onto an awkward, half-empty second one. France pulls the other way, since a two-page UK CV usually needs cutting to one. Enhancv leaves you in control of the layout, so you can rebalance the text.
Job titles and qualifications that make sense locally
Most of the damage in a translated CV comes from word-for-word translation. It hurts most in job titles and qualifications.
Enhancv maps your job titles, degrees and certifications to their real local equivalents, then suggests changes. You accept or reject each one.
- A literal tool returns
‘Ich wurde eventuell Teamleiter’
What it should say‘Ich wurde schließlich Teamleiter’
German ‘eventuell’ means ‘possibly’. Translated literally, ‘I eventually became team lead’ tells a German recruiter you might have been promoted.
- A literal tool returns
‘J’ai attendu les réunions clients’
What it should say‘J’ai participé aux réunions clients’
French ‘attendre’ means ‘to wait’. A literal ‘attended client meetings’ has you waiting for meetings instead of taking part in them.
- A literal tool returns
‘Bachiller en Economía’
What it should say‘Grado en Economía’
In Spain, a ‘bachiller’ has finished secondary school. A UK bachelor’s degree is a ‘grado’ there, and often a ‘licenciatura’ in Latin America.
Some qualifications have no equivalent to swap in
A 2:1, A-levels or a BTEC mean little to a recruiter in Paris or Madrid, and the same goes for an Irish Leaving Cert. They need a short explanation, not just a translation.
Human translator, Google Translate or Enhancv?
Here are the alternatives, compared plainly. You’ve probably tried at least one of them already.
| Enhancv | ChatGPT / Google Translate | DeepL | Human translation service | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free to start | Free | Free tier, paid for volume | Billed per page |
| Speed | Seconds | Seconds | Seconds | 2 to 5 working days |
| Formatting | Kept | Stripped, rebuild by hand | Stripped, rebuild by hand | Usually rebuilt for you |
| Country conventions | Applied per country, editable | Not applied | Not applied | Depends on the translator |
| Job titles and qualifications | Mapped to local equivalents | Translated literally | Translated literally | Mapped, if the translator knows recruitment |
| Privacy | Not used to train AI | May be used for model training | Varies by plan | Handled by a third party |
| Editable afterwards | Fully, in the editor | Copy and paste it yourself | Copy and paste it yourself | Revisions usually billed |
Some documents do need a certified translation: degree certificates, official records and visa or immigration papers. A CV sent with a job application isn’t one of them. Employers don’t verify every CV they receive, so go for speed, not certification.
Translate and localise your CV into 30 languages
From English into another language or back into English, Enhancv works both ways. These four come up often, and the rest work the same way.
- German
The Lebenslauf is the real test
The sharpest contrast with a UK CV: a tabular layout and usually a photo, often with a date and signature at the bottom. Enhancv produces all of it, which shows whether a tool understands localisation or only language.
- French
One page, even with experience
French recruiters expect a one-page CV, with education near the top and hobbies at the end. Diplomas carry real weight in France, so the way your degree reads in French matters as much as your job titles.
- Spanish
Even the document’s name changes
It’s a CV in Spain, but ‘hoja de vida’ is more common in Colombia, Ecuador and much of Latin America. Most of these markets expect a photo, which a UK CV leaves off by default.
- English
The other way round: a UK CV
Moving to the UK or Ireland with a CV in Polish, Spanish or Portuguese? Enhancv translates it into English and adapts it for UK and Irish employers. That means no photo or date of birth, two A4 pages and a personal statement at the top.
Why translate your CV with Enhancv
Translation and localisation happen in the same pass: choose the language, and the document comes back ready to send.
- One click, 30 languages. Translated in place, with no copying between tools and back again.
- Localised, not just translated. Photo, length, dates and personal details follow the target country.
- Your layout holds. Formatting absorbs the new text length and stays ATS-friendly.
- Titles and qualifications mapped. Local equivalents, with every suggestion yours to accept or reject.
- Yours to edit afterwards. It opens in the editor like any other CV.
Features and tools that help you build a
CV that lands interviews
AI CV Builder and assistant
Enhancv’s AI runs through the whole CV builder: an assistant in the editor, one-click CV tailoring and a cover letter generator.
Free and premium CV templates
ATS-tested templates with sections for your experience, skills and measurable achievements.
Share your CV for feedback
Need a second pair of eyes? Share your CV and get comments from friends and family on specific sections.
Export in several formats
Export your CV as a PDF, the most widely accepted format, or as a plain TXT file.
Mobile CV builder
On the move? Edit your CV in the mobile editor: just sign in on your phone.
Translate your CV with AI
AI translation adapts your CV to another language in seconds when you apply abroad.
One-click CV tailoring
Paste a job advert and Enhancv’s AI tailors your CV: skills, a tailored personal statement, action verbs and even a cover letter.
CV Checker
A fast, free CV checker that runs 27 essential checks, so your CV is ready to win interviews.
AI CV feedback
The AI feedback tool reviews your CV and gives you instant, personalised advice to improve it.
Personal statement generator
The AI personal statement generator writes the short profile at the top of your CV.
Cover Letter Generator
Enhancv’s AI cover letter generator writes a tailored cover letter from your CV and the job advert.
Cover letter templates
Choose from 12 cover letter templates designed to get you shortlisted. Pick one, edit it and download it.
Ready to apply abroad?
Translate your CV in one click and apply anywhere with a CV that suits the country.
Translate Your CVFrequently asked questions about CV translation and localisation
What is CV translation?
CV translation means converting a CV accurately from one language to another.
To apply in another country, your CV also needs localising: adapting the photo, length, dates and personal details to what employers there expect.
How do I translate my CV into French or German?
Upload your CV to Enhancv, or build it from scratch in English. Open the translate option, choose French, German or another of the 30 languages, then work through the localisation suggestions.
If you have a question about local conventions, Enhancv’s AI assistant gives you a precise answer.
Can I just use Google Translate or ChatGPT?
Only for the text. Google Translate and ChatGPT translate well, and ChatGPT handles local conventions if you ask it to, but neither is a CV builder.
Style, layout, fonts, colours and the photo are left to you, and so is keeping the file ATS-friendly. Enhancv handles all of that in the editor.
Will my CV layout stay intact after translation?
Yes. Translation happens automatically, right inside Enhancv’s CV builder, and your template, layout and formatting are kept.
If the translated text takes up more or less space, the editor takes that into account and rebalances. Enhancv’s guardrails also check that your CV stays readable by an ATS.
CV or resume: what’s the difference?
Both words describe the document you send with an application. The UK, Ireland and most of Europe say CV, while the US and Canada say resume, usually a shorter document of one or two pages. In academia, a CV also means a long record of a full academic career.
In Germany the CV is called a Lebenslauf. If you also apply to US employers, read how a US resume differs from a UK CV, from length to personal details.
Is a translated CV the same as a localised one?
No. A translated CV says the same things in another language. A localised CV is adapted to the conventions of the country where you’re applying.
It meets the expectations of local recruiters, so they judge your application on its merits instead of wondering whether you know their market.
Do I need a certified translation of my CV?
Almost never for a job application. Degree certificates, official records and visa or immigration papers can require a certified translation, but a CV doesn’t.
Employers don’t verify every CV they receive, and recruiters spot inconsistencies on their own. Go for speed, not certification.
Which languages can I translate my CV into?
Enhancv supports 30 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Romanian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Filipino, Indonesian, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai. You can localise your CV for the country where you’re applying.
Is my data safe? Is my CV used to train AI?
Your data is encrypted, and your CVs aren't used to train AI models.
Will my translated CV be flagged as AI-written?
Not by ATS software: it doesn’t flag AI-written CVs, because that isn’t its job. AI is at the core of Enhancv’s product, and the team has looked closely at how CVs get through the ATS.
Recruiters do care about authenticity and the effort behind a CV. Using AI to draft and translate is now the norm, not a problem. A genuine CV with a clear career story gets taken seriously.
Is CV translation free?
Enhancv’s free plan lasts seven days. During that time you can use most features, including CV translation. After that, you’d move to a paid plan.
Can I edit my translated CV afterwards?
Yes. The translated CV isn’t exported straight away: the changes are applied in the editor, where you can see everything and keep adjusting. When you’re happy with the final version, export your CV as a PDF and send it.