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Educational interpreter vs technical translator

The differences between educational interpreters and technical translators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an educational interpreter and a technical translator. Additionally, a technical translator has an average salary of $55,019, which is higher than the $39,807 average annual salary of an educational interpreter.

The top three skills for an educational interpreter include EIPA, facilitate communication and math. The most important skills for a technical translator are technical translation, technical manuals, and proofreading.

Educational interpreter vs technical translator overview

Educational InterpreterTechnical Translator
Yearly salary$39,807$55,019
Hourly rate$19.14$26.45
Growth rate20%20%
Number of jobs5,54168,352
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does an educational interpreter do?

An educational interpreter specializes in providing communication assistance to students with hearing problems or difficulty in understanding the language. It is their duty to develop strategies to convey lessons through various materials and efforts, interpret messages from the speaker and receiver, and monitoring the student's progress. They may also produce progress reports, coordinating with teachers and parents at all times. Furthermore, an educational interpreter must build a positive relationship with the student, helping them feel comfortable as they adjust to the classroom environment.

What does a technical translator do?

Technical Translation is the act of translating materials in a specific technical or scientific subject domain. A Technical Translator understands the nitty-gritty of the subject matter and knows the specialized terms in that field in both the source and secondary languages. This individual works to produce translations and interpretations of either written or oral communications of one language to another for a specific purpose or industry. As a Technical Translator, your duties may include interpreting conferences and emails in an organization.

Educational interpreter vs technical translator salary

Educational interpreters and technical translators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Educational InterpreterTechnical Translator
Average salary$39,807$55,019
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $61,000Between $37,000 And $79,000
Highest paying CityVallejo, CAWashington, DC
Highest paying stateNew YorkOregon
Best paying companyIrving IsdApple
Best paying industryEducationFinance

Differences between educational interpreter and technical translator education

There are a few differences between an educational interpreter and a technical translator in terms of educational background:

Educational InterpreterTechnical Translator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common majorAmerican Sign LanguageEnglish
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityHarvard University

Educational interpreter vs technical translator demographics

Here are the differences between educational interpreters' and technical translators' demographics:

Educational InterpreterTechnical Translator
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 16.9% Female, 83.1%Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 10.3% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 27.5% Asian, 17.9% White, 42.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage15%15%

Differences between educational interpreter and technical translator duties and responsibilities

Educational interpreter example responsibilities.

  • Manage marketing initiatives for all CME and CPE conferences which include e-mail deployments and content design for all marketing collateral.
  • Demonstrate natural leadership and mentoring skills working with groups of ASL students.
  • Interpret from ASL to English and English to ASL for students in classroom settings.
  • Serve as an educational assistant and dedicate aide in the special education department as well as in a general education kindergarten classroom
  • Interpret Farsi and Dari between clients and providers.
  • Provide Cantonese interpreting services on a monthly basis to underprivilege women diagnose with cancer.

Technical translator example responsibilities.

  • Manage group-wide collaboration using SharePoint and enable cross-team communication base on unique team needs.
  • Freelance conference interpreting (English-Spanish).
  • Assist senior mechanic with the installation of HVAC systems up to 10 tons and associate gas lines and copper line sets.
  • Assist medical professionals with several types of surgical procedures including obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, general surgery, endoscopy, and genitourinary.
  • Prepare patients for MRI procedure by conducting intake interview, positioning patient for imaging and initiating contrast administration.

Educational interpreter vs technical translator skills

Common educational interpreter skills
  • EIPA, 28%
  • Facilitate Communication, 15%
  • Math, 8%
  • Mathematics, 7%
  • IEP, 7%
  • Educational Programs, 7%
Common technical translator skills
  • Technical Translation, 13%
  • Technical Manuals, 12%
  • Proofreading, 11%
  • User Interface, 7%
  • Proofread, 7%
  • Technical Specifications, 7%

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