How To Include Foreign Language Skills in Your Resume

Hiring managers generally like to see foreign language ability on your resume since it shows you could engage with a wider variety of colleagues and clients. But you shouldn’t always feature your language skills prominently, or even at all. Your current career objectives must determine the extent to which you show language skills on your resume. Picture your target job now, and ask yourself these three questions:

1. Are you open to using your foreign language skills in your next position?

If not, there’s no reason to include them on your resume. Let’s step back for a minute.

Your language skills are just a small part of the overall skillset you’ve gained throughout your personal and professional experience. But your resume isn’t meant to gather all that information in one comprehensive document. Instead, it’s supposed to focus only on those skills you want to apply in your next job. If your foreign language skills fall outside that focus, you can leave them off your resume entirely.

As for English fluency, you can omit that as well because it’s already assumed. The only exception is if you are bilingual and want to call that out in your resume introduction (see “Profile” below). You can do so with this phrase: Bilingual: Fluent in English and [Language].

If you are open to using your language skills, plan on at least mentioning them on your resume.

2. What is your proficiency level in each language?

Envision how comfortable (or uncomfortable) you would be reading, writing, speaking, and listening to each of your foreign languages in a professional setting. Then choose from these options:

• Native speaker in: [Language]
• Fluency in: [Language]
• Advanced proficiency in: [Language]
• Proficiency in: [Language]
• Intermediate in: [Language]
• Basic proficiency in: [Language]

You can also use phrases like Conversational: [Language] or Working knowledge of: [Language], but the above are more precise and flexible in listing multiple languages.

Never overstate your language proficiency. When in doubt, choose the more conservative phrase. Only select “Fluency in” if you can honestly speak the language at about the same level as a native speaker (perhaps just with an accent and narrower vocabulary). If you are unsure of your level of proficiency, you can take a self-assessment created by the Interagency Language Roundtable.

You can also refer to the Common Framework for Languages to rate your language skills and provide helpful ways to convey your knowledge. Foreign languages can be a great conversation starter in the interview phase (especially when your resume also includes travel or international work experience). But they can also be a conversation killer if the hiring manager suddenly starts talking to you in a foreign language and you can’t keep up.

Once you’ve jotted down your proficiency in each language, consolidate them by level and order them from most to least advanced. This finished text for a language resume section may be part of a greater skills section at the top or the bottom of the document. It can also be a stand-alone category if you choose. Here’s an example:

Languages

• Fluency in: Spanish
• Proficiency in: Italian, Portuguese
• Basic proficiency in: French

or Skills

• Computer Software: Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Adobe Creative Suite
• Languages: Spanish (native speaker), Fluent in Portuguese and Italian

3. How interested are you in using your language skills in your next job?

Your answer determines how much you should feature these languages elsewhere in your resume and also where the language skills section is featured. Let’s say you’re fluent in German but somewhat indifferent about using it in your target job. You can leave your resume as is and not mention your German fluency aside from in the languages section.

But if you’d love to speak German in your next job and maybe you’ve even narrowed your search criteria to companies with clients or operations in Germany, it should be highlighted. In this case, look for ways to make your German fluency a more noticeable feature of your overall resume. Consider citing it in these four sections:

Profile

Foreign language skills can make a great outro to your resume’s Profile section. Here is where you could put Bilingual: Fluent in English and German as the last line of your description, like this:

Conversely, if speaking German is prominently mentioned in the job description, you can lead with: Bilingual (English/German) senior database developer with over 10 years of experience, specializing in Rest APIs, Microsoft Azure, SQL Server, and database administration. A strong history of building and leading global cross-functional teams to perform multimillion-dollar data center consolidations. Adept at architecting scalable database solutions for enterprise-level organizations.

Education 

If you learned the language as your college major or minor, specify that as well as any study abroad programs you completed. For example:

You may even elaborate on this experience by clearly stating if you lived with a host family where only German was spoken in the home, for example. Another option might be to mention which courses you completed while abroad. Also, clarify that classes were taught exclusively in German and all class materials and texts were in that language.

Training 

Have you built or honed your fluency through more recent training or adult education programs? Consider listing those in this resume section.

For example:

Experience 

Think of the times you’ve applied your fluency in your work experience so far and consider fleshing out those details under their respective job description. For example:

Remember your objectives

Your resume offers plenty of options and flexibility for including or omitting your foreign language skills. The best strategy for you comes down to your career objectives. If you are leaning into roles where your language knowledge is required or preferred by the employer, feature it prominently on your resume.

When it is not expressly stated for the role you are applying for, but you know the company’s clients or other office locations, include them. If you are at a beginner level of a language and the job description states another language is strongly preferred or required, you can also include it. But you will likely not be selected for an interview if the foreign language is imperative to success. By clarifying your target job and finding answers to the above three questions, you will know the best way to address foreign languages on your resume.

Having foreign language skills is a great way to differentiate yourself from other candidates. Showing proficiency in the language and cultural competency is the winning combination. We have all heard the phrase, “it just doesn’t translate,” which is of particular importance here. If you have the vocabulary, terminology, and context, your language is meaningful, impactful, and more accurate.

Frequently Asked Questions About Resume Language Skills

Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.

Carolyn Kleiman

Professional Resume Writer

For the last 20 years, Carolyn Kleiman has helped individuals identify and achieve their career goals. Carolyn has held positions in recruiting and training and has helped countless numbers of job seekers craft high-quality resumes and cover letters, prepare for interviews, and eventually land their dream jobs! Carolyn is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Certified Professional Resume Writer and is a member of the National Career Development Association and Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.