Interpreters and Translators
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
Day to day, the job is listening to a speaker or reading a source text, then putting the same content, context, and style into another language—sometimes at the same time the speaker is talking, sometimes after a pause, and sometimes in writing or sign. Dictionaries, lexicons, and terminology banks are used to keep legal, medical, and other technical terms accurate and consistent across revisions. Conflicts over what a word or custom means have to be sorted out, and ethical rules require that confidential information stay private. The work suits people who like close listening, precise wording, and building reference lists for a specific audience.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$60'170
Median Wage Market Position
$60'170
What you might do
- Translate speech or sign into another language
- Listen to speakers and prepare the wording
- Keep meaning, context, and style intact
- Compile legal and medical terms for later use
- Check that technical wording stays consistent
- Guard the privacy of what you hear
Skills that matter
- Speech or sign rendered in another language
- Listen for meaning, context, and style
- Legal and medical terms compiled in advance
- Dictionaries and lexicons checked for accuracy
- Word-meaning conflicts identified and resolved
- Confidentiality of interpreted information protected
AI & the future of this role
Routine document translation and simple conversation support are services machine systems may cover for many everyday needs. Nuanced negotiation, legal or medical liability, and high-stakes live interpreting still rely on human judgment and trust.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details