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Interpreters and Translators
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Other titles employers use
American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL Interpreter) · Court Interpreter · Educational Interpreter · Interpreter · Linguist · Medical Interpreter · Sign Language Interpreter · Spanish Interpreter
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
- Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing, creative and helping work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Creative
- Making, designing, writing, or performing without one set answer
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Foreign Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Education and Training
- Administrative
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Speech Recognition
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.5 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 2.7 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.6 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 1.6 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 55%
- A master's degree 28%
- High school or less 8%
- A two-year degree 4%
- A doctorate or professional degree 4%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Web platform development software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Foreign language software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
Selected stateCalifornia
- People doing this work
- 9,800
- Job openings each year
- 1,010
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 8.9%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 9,800 | 1,010 | 8.9% |
| Texas | 9,620 | 1,020 | 17.7% |
| New York | 4,590 | 60 | 13.9% |
| Florida | 4,120 | 430 | 14.8% |
| Ohio | 2,640 | 270 | 9.1% |
| North Carolina | 2,570 | 270 | 10.8% |
| Washington | 2,540 | 310 | 19.8% |
| Virginia | 2,350 | 240 | 5.4% |
| Illinois | 2,200 | 220 | — |
| Wisconsin | 2,190 | 220 | 4.8% |
| Georgia | 2,150 | 220 | 9.7% |
| Arizona | 1,930 | 200 | 14.2% |
| Maryland | 1,900 | 200 | 9.8% |
| Colorado | 1,860 | 200 | 19.2% |
| Minnesota | 1,690 | 170 | 2.4% |
| Oregon | 1,520 | 160 | 13.4% |
| Indiana | 1,250 | 130 | 5.9% |
| Utah | 1,170 | 130 | 23.2% |
| Pennsylvania | 1,050 | 110 | 1.9% |
| Tennessee | 1,040 | 110 | 13.0% |
| Kentucky | 1,000 | 100 | 6.4% |
| Nebraska | 950 | 100 | 5.6% |
| Massachusetts | 940 | 100 | 5.6% |
| Michigan | 830 | 80 | 2.5% |
| Missouri | 820 | 80 | 6.5% |
| New Jersey | 790 | 80 | 1.3% |
| New Mexico | 770 | 80 | 11.6% |
| Kansas | 730 | 70 | 4.3% |
| Iowa | 660 | 70 | 10.0% |
| South Carolina | 580 | 60 | 16.0% |
| Oklahoma | 560 | 60 | 3.7% |
| Nevada | 530 | 60 | 12.8% |
| Alabama | 500 | 50 | 2.0% |
| Puerto Rico | 420 | 50 | 13.5% |
| Louisiana | 380 | 40 | −2.6% |
| Connecticut | 320 | 30 | 10.3% |
| South Dakota | 320 | 30 | 10.3% |
| Idaho | 310 | 30 | 10.7% |
| Maine | 310 | 30 | −3.1% |
| New Hampshire | 270 | 30 | 12.5% |
| District of Columbia | 250 | 30 | 4.2% |
| Rhode Island | 220 | 20 | 4.8% |
| Arkansas | 190 | 20 | 5.6% |
| West Virginia | 160 | 20 | — |
| Delaware | 120 | 10 | — |
| North Dakota | 100 | 10 | 11.1% |
| Vermont | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Alaska | 70 | 10 | — |
| Montana | 70 | 10 | — |
| Wyoming | 40 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
CareerInterpreters and Translators
Most direct field Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field Southeast Asian and Australasian/Pacific Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field South Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field Middle/Near Eastern and Semitic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics → Related field Turkic, Uralic-Altaic, Caucasian, and Central Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics →
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
WI
University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Degrees each year
- 317
- Admit rate
- 43%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Brigham Young University
- Degrees each year
- 304
- Admit rate
- 69%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
University of Arizona
- Degrees each year
- 223
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Degrees each year
- 217
- Admit rate
- 18%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 238
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of California-Los Angeles
- Degrees each year
- 417
- Admit rate
- 9%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of California-Davis
- Degrees each year
- 325
- Admit rate
- 42%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of California-Santa Barbara
- Degrees each year
- 306
- Admit rate
- 28%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Compare every college offering slavic, baltic and albanian languages, literatures, and linguistics