Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between court interpreters and bilingual interpreters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a court interpreter and a bilingual interpreter. Additionally, a court interpreter has an average salary of $44,300, which is higher than the $44,168 average annual salary of a bilingual interpreter.
The top three skills for a court interpreter include vice versa, court cases and court hearings. The most important skills for a bilingual interpreter are patients, translation services, and interpretation services.
| Court Interpreter | Bilingual Interpreter | |
| Yearly salary | $44,300 | $44,168 |
| Hourly rate | $21.30 | $21.23 |
| Growth rate | 20% | 20% |
| Number of jobs | 4,250 | 5,338 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A court interpreter is responsible for translating one language to another in real-time in a courtroom setting. Court interpreters work closely with clients and law officers to relay accurate and reliable information from the actual context. Apart from having excellent communication skills, a court interpreter should also possess extensive knowledge of the legal industry to understand and interpret terms accordingly. They also translate legal documents for court reference. In some cases, a court interpreter may also read the statements beforehand to have a good grasp of courtroom procedures.
A bilingual interpreter is responsible for translating communications from one language to another without compromising the focus of the context. Bilingual interpreters manage verbal and written interactions between parties, including the translation of complicated terminologies to comprehensive statements with the same meaning. They should be excellently familiar with the style and structure of their language expertise to translate codes effectively. A bilingual interpreter must have excellent communication and organizational skills, as well as coordinating with different kinds of people efficiently to assist clients in their daily tasks.
Court interpreters and bilingual interpreters have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Court Interpreter | Bilingual Interpreter | |
| Average salary | $44,300 | $44,168 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $72,000 | Between $27,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Central Islip, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Virginia |
| Best paying company | City of Houston | Randolph Health |
| Best paying industry | Government | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a court interpreter and a bilingual interpreter in terms of educational background:
| Court Interpreter | Bilingual Interpreter | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between court interpreters' and bilingual interpreters' demographics:
| Court Interpreter | Bilingual Interpreter | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 40.9% Female, 59.1% | Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 35.4% Asian, 14.1% White, 38.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 47.2% Asian, 11.0% White, 32.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |