Recruiting guides · 6 minutes read
Bilingual job adverts: maintain consistent German and English versions
By ReclyraUpdated
1. Decide who the English version is meant to reach
An English advert can reach people who prefer reading professional information in English. That does not automatically mean the work can be done entirely in English. Before translating, clarify which languages are actually used within the team, in customer contact and in documentation. Both versions should describe the same working environment.
For example, an IT team might discuss technical topics in English while supporting German-speaking employees over the telephone. Explain both situations in the advert. Calling it simply an ‘English-speaking role’ would suggest something different. Describe language requirements through the tasks involved, and use proficiency levels only when they meaningfully express what the job actually requires.
2. Establish one shared source of information
Choose a source version and a person responsible for coordinating changes. Keep a short checklist covering the title, main tasks, essential requirements, location, hours, working arrangements and application process. These facts must agree in both languages. This prevents a translation from becoming a second vacancy with different conditions.
Start with a complete, agreed job advert. If one person changes the German requirements while another works on the English draft, it quickly becomes unclear which version is current. Record which source version was used for the translation and which changes still need to be reflected before the advert is published.
3. Translate terminology without changing the role
Not every German title has a single English equivalent. ‘Sachbearbeitung’ can describe different roles depending on the actual work. Choose a recognisable title and explain the focus in the description. Product names and established technical terms can stay as they are; internal abbreviations need explaining in both languages so unfamiliar readers can understand them.
Review example: ‘Du koordinierst Anfragen mit unserem Vertrieb’ should not become ‘You lead our sales team’. The second version adds management responsibility that the source never mentioned. Similarly, ‘mobiles Arbeiten nach Absprache’ does not automatically mean ‘fully remote’. Check responsibility, attendance requirements, contractual scope and benefits particularly carefully. A fluent translation can still get these facts wrong.
4. Review manual translations and AI drafts deliberately
Manual translation works well when someone knows both languages and understands the actual job. A second reader can then check the facts and clarity. For a small change, revising only the affected paragraphs may be sufficient. Check whether the rest of the description and related details still agree with the revised content.
Reclyra’s job management lets you maintain the second language version manually. From Growth, an AI translation is also available as a proposal. It is shown for review and enters your draft only after you accept it. Read it fully before saving: it must not invent requirements, improve the advertised conditions or remove necessary qualifications from the source text.
5. Approve it with a short German–English review matrix
Create four columns: statement, German version, English version and review result. Example: location – ‘Karlsruhe, zwei Tage pro Woche vor Ort’ – ‘Karlsruhe, on site two days a week’ – consistent. Next row: experience – ‘erste Erfahrung willkommen’ – ‘three years required’ – correct before publishing. The matrix focuses on differences in meaning rather than matching sentence lengths or word order.
Then review the advert from an applicant's perspective. Which language will the interview use? In which language can they submit documents? Who will answer enquiries in English? Offer only options your team can provide. An English advert is less useful when these practical questions are resolved through unexpected restrictions after someone has already applied.
6. Walk through the complete public application journey
After publishing, open both the careers page and the individual vacancy in each language. Check the heading, description, company introduction, buttons and application form. Switching the interface language does not translate company text you have written yourself. Review that content separately, especially when it appears immediately above or below the job description and shapes the first impression.
Also test the link you share on your website or in a professional network. Does it open the intended language version? Is the job title still understandable when the application form opens? If you embed a job list, check its language and the destination page too. A translated advert alone does not fix a broken application journey.
7. Complete future changes in both languages
Make the second language version a standard part of every vacancy update. New tasks, different attendance rules or a changed application process affect both descriptions. A simple internal record is enough: change, affected paragraphs, owner and review completed. This makes it visible whether only the source text was updated or whether the translation was checked as well.
If a version has not been reviewed, do not publish it as though it were current. Resolve the difference first, then check the public pages again. The goal is not word-for-word identity. Both texts should explain the same role honestly and clearly. Good bilingual maintenance makes responsibility for that consistency, and the most recent content review, easy to trace.
Your checklist
- Actual working languages and requirements are explained.
- Both versions describe the same tasks and conditions.
- Terminology and responsibility are translated accurately.
- An AI proposal was fully reviewed before acceptance.
- Company text and the application journey were checked in both languages.
- A named person owns future updates to both versions.