Job reference

Apart from the CV, employment references are probably the most important documents when applying for a new job. The quality of one’s work, assessed by former employers, is a decisive factor in Germany as well as abroad when hiring new staff. This makes it all the more important that an employment reference is translated officially and very precisely by professional translators. In addition, the translation is often only valid and recognised if it is a certified translation including a stamp. This is the only way for you (and your new employer) to be sure that all phrases in the new language retain their original meaning.

First of all: we translate and certify every employment reference. Nevertheless, it is always good to know which type of reference you are ordering a certified translation for. These are three typical types (in Germany):

Here, the content is limited to objective facts without any evaluation. A simple employment reference is usually standardised and contains information such as the period of employment, the position and the employee’s area of responsibility.

In addition to objective information, a qualified employment reference also contains evaluations. It is the most commonly used type of employment reference and is known for its precise wording, which can be interpreted as a kind of grading system.

An interim reference is often issued when there is a change of supervisor or a change in the company structure. It can therefore also be issued to employees during an ongoing employment relationship.

In most cases, a German employment reference refers to a qualified employment reference. Visually, such a document often looks like a standard letter, but certain phrases contain coded evaluations that are comparable to school grades. To ensure that companies – both in Germany and abroad – can correctly assess whether potential employees are suitable for a position, they place great importance on the evaluations provided by previous employers. Reference translations for international applicants are examined particularly closely.

A simple translation is usually not enough to convince, as this could easily be done with online tools today. The translated content only becomes valid through certification – and that’s exactly what you get from us.

The employment reference as we know it in Germany is not necessarily the document that HR professionals or supervisors focus on in other cultures. In English-speaking countries, the so-called letter of reference (also known as a letter of recommendation or recommendation letter) is often included in the evaluation. This is a recommendation letter that does not follow the typical phrasing of a German employment reference. Instead, colleagues and supervisors write an assessment about you and your work.

It’s best to check in advance which application documents are required for the new position and, if necessary, request a reference or recommendation letter from your current or former employer – we will, of course, be happy to take care of the translation and certification for you.

The key to hiring new staff is correctly assessing the candidates. HR professionals and other decision-makers must be able to rely on the accuracy of the documents – including those of international applicants. You can rely on our professional translations. On the one hand, they are always certified and produced by sworn translators; on the other hand, our service is triple ISO-certified: for our translation services (ISO 17100:2015), our quality management (ISO 9001:2015) and our information security (ISO/IEC 27001:2013).

You can of course translate your employment reference yourself, but we recommend a professional translation – ideally with certification. Self-translated references are generally not very trustworthy or convincing. After all, your new employer has no way of knowing whether everything has been translated fully and accurately. Translation mistakes can also lead to misunderstandings and, in the worst case, leave a poor impression. That’s why it’s worth having your employment reference translated and certified by a sworn translator.