LinkedIn Profile in Two Languages: How to Add a Second-Language Version

One profile, several languages

If you work in English and French, or apply for jobs in several countries, you have two options: write a profile that mixes both languages, or use LinkedIn's feature for creating a version of your profile in another language.

The second option is usually cleaner: each reader sees a consistent profile written in a single language, rather than text that alternates between two.

What your visitors see

According to LinkedIn's help, visitors see your profile in the language they're using the site in. If they use a language you haven't created a version for, they see your primary profile.

When you have a version in another language, visitors can also pick a language from a menu on the right of your profile. In practice, a recruiter using LinkedIn in French will see your French version if it exists, even if your primary profile is in English.

How to create the second-language version

The feature isn't available in the mobile app, so you'll need a computer. The steps below follow LinkedIn's official help page "Create or delete a profile in another language".

• Click the Me icon, then View Profile.
• In the right pane, click the edit icon next to "Profile language".
• In the Profile language settings pop-up, click "Add language".
• Pick the language and adjust your first and last name if they're written differently in that language.
• If you wish, switch the toggle to make this version your primary profile.
• Translate your headline.
• Click "Create Profile", then "Done".

What LinkedIn doesn't translate

This is the key point: LinkedIn doesn't translate your content. When you create the version, you enter your headline in the new language; for the rest, LinkedIn's help says you need to add or translate your own content by editing the second-language profile.

A half-translated version makes a weaker impression than a profile in a single language. Plan time to rewrite at least your About section and your recent experience descriptions.

Tips for a good bilingual profile

Deleting a language version

To remove a version, again from desktop: View Profile, then the Language icon in the right pane, the X next to the language you want to remove, and Remove to confirm.

Which language should be your primary profile?

Your primary profile is what every visitor sees if there's no version in the language they use LinkedIn in. So choose the language of most of the people you want to reach: your market, your clients or the recruiters you're targeting.

If you're applying internationally, an English primary profile with a secondary version in your local language is often a logical choice. If your work is local, do the opposite. You can change this later with the option that makes a version your primary profile.

When is a second version worth it?

It's worth it if a significant part of your audience reads another language: applications in several countries, foreign clients, an international company. It's less useful if all your work happens in one language: one polished profile beats two versions where one is neglected.

If in doubt, ask yourself a simple question: will you keep both versions up to date every time you change roles? If not, focus on one.

Common mistakes

• Creating the second version and only translating the headline: visitors in that language then see a profile that is mostly empty or inconsistent.
• Letting the versions drift apart: when you update a role in one language, update the other at the same time.
• Using machine translation without review: job titles and idioms often come out wrong, and the tone rarely sounds like you.
• Mixing both languages inside each version: the point of the feature is to give each reader a profile in a single language.

Check each version

Each version deserves the same care: review them one after the other by switching the language in your profile's menu. For an outside view, the free ResumedIn analysis gives a score out of 100 and a rating for 10 criteria, with no account needed, with results in English or French depending on the site language. It assesses the profile retrieved from your URL and doesn't let you choose which language version is analysed. It also requires your profile to be public.