Translator Job Description Template
A Translator owns the accurate conversion of written content between languages, preserving tone, context, and meaning so a company's message lands the same way for every audience.
Use this translator job description template to find reliable employees for your company. Feel free to modify the translator duties and responsibilities as well as the qualifications listed below to fit your specific needs.
What Is a Translator?
A Translator is a language professional who converts written content from a source language into a target language while preserving meaning, tone, and cultural context. The role spans specializations: a Generalist Translator handles a broad range of content, while a Specialist Translator focuses on a specific domain such as legal, medical, or technical translation, where precision and terminology matter most. Most hold a degree in translation, linguistics, or the relevant subject-matter field, along with fluency, often near-native, in at least two languages. They typically report to a Localization Manager, Content Manager, or Head of Marketing, and their work touches every team that publishes content for a non-English-speaking or multi-market audience.
What Does a Translator Do?
Day to day, a Translator works through source documents using computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools such as memoQ or Trados, drawing on translation memories and glossaries to keep terminology consistent across projects. They research industry-specific terminology, adapt idioms and cultural references so the translated text reads naturally rather than literally, and proofread their own and others' work for accuracy. When a mistranslation could cause a legal, financial, or reputational problem, such as in a contract or a product safety label, it's the translator's precision that prevents that risk from reaching customers.
Job Brief
We are seeking a detail-oriented Translator to own translation across our content and product materials, reporting directly to the Localization Manager. In your first 30 days, you'll get familiar with our style guide, glossary, and CAT tool setup; by month two, you'll be handling full projects independently, from source file to final proofread, within our standard turnaround times. This role offers steady, high-impact work for someone who wants deep specialization in a language pair or content domain.
Responsibilities
- Translate written content between the source and target language, preserving meaning, tone, and intent
- Maintain and apply translation memories, glossaries, and style guides using a CAT tool such as memoQ or Trados
- Research and standardize industry-specific terminology to ensure consistency across projects
- Proofread and edit translated content for grammar, fluency, and cultural accuracy before delivery
- Adapt idioms, cultural references, and formatting so content reads naturally to the target audience
- Collaborate with content, product, or legal teams to clarify ambiguous source text before translating it
- Meet project deadlines and turnaround-time targets while maintaining quality standards
- Flag content that may need transcreation rather than direct translation, such as marketing copy or slogans
Requirements and Skills
- Bachelor's degree in Translation, Linguistics, or a relevant subject-matter field
- Native or near-native fluency in the target language, with strong proficiency in the source language
- 2+ years of professional translation experience, ideally within the relevant content domain
- Hands-on experience with a CAT tool such as memoQ, Trados, or Smartcat
- Familiarity with AI-assisted translation and post-editing workflows, such as DeepL Pro or machine translation post-editing
- Professional certification (e.g. ATA certification) is a plus, especially for legal or medical translation
- Excellent attention to detail and strong written communication in both languages
Ready to use this template?
Copy the JD, paste it into your ATS, and tweak the salary / location before posting.