Interpreters and Translators: Salary, Job Outlook & How to Become One (2026 Parent Guide)
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media · SOC 27-3091 · O*NET 27-3091.00
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Interpreters and Translators fall under the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category in the U.S. occupational classification. Interpreters and Translators earn a median salary of $59,440 per year, ranking in the top 49% of all U.S. occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects +1.7% job growth through 2034, projected to grow slower than the US average. Entry into this field typically requires a bachelor's degree, with specific licensing or certification depending on the state and employer. For parents whose teenager is exploring this path, the most actionable step is mapping the education requirements to specific colleges and majors before junior year — not waiting until application season.
What parents should know about interpreters and translators right now
Interpreters convert spoken or signed language in real time; translators do the same with written text. It is a strong career for teens who are bilingual or eager to master a second language and who enjoy precise, careful communication. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 2 percent employment growth from 2024 to 2034, slower than the average for all occupations, but with steady demand in courts, hospitals, schools, and remote conferencing. The median annual wage was $59,440 in May 2024; the lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,630 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $99,830, with specialty fields like medical, court, and conference interpreting paying at the top end. Most positions require at least a bachelor's degree, often in foreign language, communications, or a technical field, plus full proficiency in two languages. Certification is generally voluntary but often required for court and federal work; the American Translators Association (ATA) and federal court interpreter certifications are widely respected. The biggest trend is the rise of AI and neural machine translation: industry research shows 79 percent of translators are familiar with AI tools, and 84 percent expect demand for raw human translation to fall while demand for post-editing, terminology management, and specialty interpreting rises. Live interpreting (medical, legal, ASL, conference) remains highly resistant to automation. Parents can encourage immersion, study abroad, AP language exams, and ASL coursework.
What do interpreters and translators earn?
The median annual wage for interpreters and translators is $59,440. That puts interpreters and translators at #400 on the BLS ranked list of all U.S. occupations by median pay. This salary is around or below the U.S. median for individual workers, so career growth often depends on advancement into supervisory roles, specialization, or additional credentials. Actual pay varies meaningfully by state, employer type, and years of experience — entry-level salaries are typically 30–40% below the median, while top-decile earners often exceed it by 50% or more.
| 10th percentile (entry-level) | $35,630 |
| 25th percentile | $45,020 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $59,440 |
| 75th percentile | $80,020 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $99,830 |
| Median hourly wage | $28.58/hr |
Is interpreters and translators a growing career?
The 10-year outlook for interpreters and translators is +1.7%, projected to grow slower than the US average. Employment is projected to move from approximately 75K positions in 2024 to 76K in 2034, a net change of 1K. Flat growth typically reflects a mature, stable field. Most openings will come from retirements rather than new positions, which can favor candidates with strong networks and willingness to relocate.
What do interpreters and translators do every day?
According to O*NET task surveys of working interpreters and translators, these are the core responsibilities most professionals perform. This is what your teen would actually be doing in this role.
- 1.Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- 2.Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- 3.Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors.
- 4.Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- 5.Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
- 6.Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
- 7.Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience.
- 8.Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
Top skills for interpreters and translators
O*NET ranks these as the most important skills for this occupation, on a 1–5 importance scale derived from worker surveys.
What education does my child need to become interpreters and translator?
The standard path into interpreters and translators begins with a bachelor's degree in a related field, followed by entry-level experience or internships during college. For parents helping a teen prepare, the highest-leverage step before junior year is identifying colleges and programs that feed reliably into this occupation — Solyo's college search lets parents filter by major and admissions data side by side.
Based on O*NET surveys of incumbents — what people in this job actually have, not what employers list as required.
Related careers your child might also consider
How parents help teens explore careers like this
Solyo helps parents map a teen's interests to specific careers, then back to the colleges and majors that lead there. Salary, outlook, and education data come from BLS and O*NET — the same sources high school counselors use — but presented for the parent's planning lens, not the student's exploration view.
Common questions parents ask about interpreters and translators
What is the median salary for interpreters and translators?
The median annual salary for interpreters and translators is $59,440 according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Is interpreters and translators a growing career?
BLS projects +1.7% growth for interpreters and translators from 2024 through 2034, which is flat growth projected to grow slower than the US average.
What education does my child need to become interpreters and translator?
The typical entry path requires a bachelor's degree, plus any state licensure or certification specific to the role. Programs that align well with this career can be filtered inside Solyo's college search.
What careers are similar to interpreters and translators?
Related occupations within the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media category share education paths and skill profiles, so they're a useful starting set when a teen is uncertain. The "Related careers" section below lists nearby options.
Salary data sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics program. Skills, tasks, and education distribution from the O*NET database. Job outlook from the BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 release.