How to hire a bilingual interpreter

How to hire a bilingual interpreter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bilingual interpreter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bilingual interpreter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bilingual interpreter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a bilingual interpreter do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the bilingual interpreter you need to hire. Certain bilingual interpreter roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect bilingual interpreter also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of bilingual interpreters and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Bilingual Interpreter	Description	Hourly rate
   Bilingual Interpreter	Interpreters and translators convert information from one language into another language. Interpreters work in spoken or sign language; translators work in written language.	$12-34
   Freelance Translator	A freelance translator is an independent contractor specializing in translating audio or written materials into a particular language. They primarily communicate with clients to identify their needs and preferences, including project specifications such as deadlines and format... Show more	$12-34
   Translator	A translator is an expert of one or multiple languages, responsible for transcribing communication between parties for easy comprehension. Translators often work with written documents, relaying the core context and original message from the source... Show more	$12-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Translation Services
   • Interpretation Services
   • Target Language
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Procedures
   • Language Services
   • LEP
   • Language Barriers
   • Scheduling Appointments
   • Phone Calls
   • Medical Terminology
   • Spanish Language
   • Phone Interpretation

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Observe company's protocols, including HIPAA compliance.
   • Set and attend appointments for professional staffs in school setting conferences for IEP, DEP, financial aidand truancy.
   • Provide bilingual interpretation during verbal interactions between English-speaking medical professionals and non-English speaking Hispanic patients.
   • Assist non-English speaking Hispanic patients providing accurate medical history, expressing medical concerns and receiving educational and various written materials.
   • Follow establish departmental guidelines and protect confidentiality of member's information (HIPPA )

   More bilingual interpreter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bilingual interpreter job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A bilingual interpreter salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, bilingual interpreters' average salary in nevada is 59% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level bilingual interpreters earn 62% less than senior-level bilingual interpreters.
   • Certifications. A bilingual interpreter with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a bilingual interpreter's salary.

   Average bilingual interpreter salary

   $44,168yearly

   $21.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bilingual interpreter salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average bilingual interpreter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$80,372	$39
   2	Virginia	$66,254	$32
   3	California	$64,821	$31
   4	New York	$63,292	$30
   5	New Jersey	$56,353	$27
   6	Colorado	$54,246	$26
   7	Texas	$50,697	$24
   8	Washington	$50,261	$24
   9	Connecticut	$49,195	$24
   10	Missouri	$43,385	$21
   11	North Carolina	$41,887	$20
   12	Wisconsin	$41,867	$20
   13	Illinois	$41,172	$20
   14	New Mexico	$40,215	$19
   15	Arizona	$39,028	$19
   16	Florida	$38,710	$19
   17	Nevada	$35,582	$17

   Average bilingual interpreter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Randolph Health	$101,221	$48.66	1
   2	Trinitas Regional Medical Center	$73,192	$35.19
   3	City of Richmond	$68,745	$33.05
   4	Soliant	$65,768	$31.62
   5	Sinai Chicago	$65,397	$31.44
   6	Topeka Public Schools	$64,124	$30.83	1
   7	TransPerfect	$60,595	$29.13	66
   8	ProCare Therapy	$56,170	$27.00
   9	Liberty Language	$56,032	$26.94	8
   10	Rancho Alamitos High School	$55,344	$26.61
   11	BioLife Solutions	$54,339	$26.12
   12	Hemet Unified School District	$53,976	$25.95
   13	ESL Federal Credit Union	$52,812	$25.39
   14	Santa Maria Joint Union High School District	$51,963	$24.98	2
   15	RWJBarnabas Health	$51,669	$24.84
   16	Danbury Public Schools	$50,020	$24.05	2
   17	KidsCare Therapy	$49,915	$24.00	2
   18	Biolife Plasma Services	$49,533	$23.81	1
   19	ActionAIDS	$46,520	$22.37
   20	Kelly Services	$44,529	$21.41	27

4. Writing a bilingual interpreter job description

   A job description for a bilingual interpreter role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a bilingual interpreter job description:

   Bilingual interpreter job description example

   This position is open for full-time and part-time.
   
   This position performs skilled consecutive, first-person interpretation. Work is performed and reviewed under direct supervision, using well-defined policies and procedures. Limited opportunity exists for exercising independent judgment and decision-making. An incumbent refers most problems to a supervisor and generally all non-routine problems. This description applies to the entire Interpreter classification regardless of language(s) spoken. Languages include, but are not limited to Arabic, Bengali, Brazilian Portuguese, Burmese, Cambodian, Cantonese, Farsi, French, Haitian Creole, Hindi, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Karen, Mandarin, Nepali, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese, or any combination thereof.
   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (MAJOR DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES):
   
   * Provides meaning-for-meaning interpreting.
   * Follows CyraCom's interpreter protocols as per CyraCom training, policies, and procedures.
   * Follows all CyraCom policies and procedures related to information confidentiality and interpreter ethics.
   * Attends all required training for interpreters, such as training by the CyraCom Quality and Development Department.
   * Continuously improves vocabulary and specialized subject matter knowledge, as required for various clients, such as medical, legal, social services, etc.
   * Maintains confidentiality as per CyraCom Interpreter policies.
   * Uses standard office equipment such as telephones, computers, copiers and fax machines.
   * Uses MS Office applications such as Outlook, Word and Edge (or other internet browser).
   * All employees are required to perform the following essential functions: demonstrate predictable, reliable, and timely attendance; follow written and verbal directions and complete assigned tasks on schedule; read, write and communicate in English; communicate in person and by telephone as per CyraCom policy; learn from directions, observations, and mistakes; work independently or as part of a team; interact appropriately with others including co-workers, supervisors, and customers; and work with supervision, receiving instructions/feedback, coaching/counseling and/or corrective action.
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:
   
   * Fluency in English and the target language.
   * Skilled at communicating, both orally and in writing in English and target language.
   * Basic understanding of linguistics and different cultures.
   * Skilled in adjusting to rapidly changing circumstances.
   * Ability to react calmly and effectively in emergency situations.
   * Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
   * Ability to work independently and skilled at exercising initiative within the parameter of company policies and procedures.
   * Exceptional commitment to confidentiality as per CyraCom Interpreter policies.
   * Skilled at keeping supervisors informed of problems or issues.
   * Skilled in establishing and maintaining effective work relationships.
   * Skilled in Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Internet Explorer (or other internet browser).
   * Ability to operate competently common office equipment including, but not limited to computer, fax, copier and telephone system.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find bilingual interpreters for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find bilingual interpreter candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with bilingual interpreter candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bilingual interpreter

   Once you've found the bilingual interpreter candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new bilingual interpreter. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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