Foreign language interpreter vs educational interpreter

The differences between foreign language interpreters and educational 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 foreign language interpreter and an educational interpreter. Additionally, a foreign language interpreter has an average salary of $44,242, which is higher than the $39,807 average annual salary of an educational interpreter.

The top three skills for a foreign language interpreter include target language, foreign language and medical terminology. The most important skills for an educational interpreter are EIPA, facilitate communication, and math.

Foreign language interpreter vs educational interpreter overview

	Foreign Language Interpreter	Educational Interpreter
Yearly salary	$44,242	$39,807
Hourly rate	$21.27	$19.14
Growth rate	20%	20%
Number of jobs	23,134	5,541
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Foreign language interpreter vs educational interpreter salary

Foreign language interpreters and educational interpreters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Foreign Language Interpreter	Educational Interpreter
Average salary	$44,242	$39,807
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $72,000	Between $25,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Vallejo, CA
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Jefferson County Sheriffs Dept	Irving Isd
Best paying industry	Automotive	Education

Differences between foreign language interpreter and educational interpreter education

There are a few differences between a foreign language interpreter and an educational interpreter in terms of educational background:

	Foreign Language Interpreter	Educational Interpreter
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Business	American Sign Language
Most common college	Harvard University	Harvard University

Foreign language interpreter vs educational interpreter demographics

Here are the differences between foreign language interpreters' and educational interpreters' demographics:

	Foreign Language Interpreter	Educational Interpreter
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 39.5% Female, 60.5%	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 33.0% Asian, 14.0% White, 39.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black 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%
LGBT Percentage	15%	15%

Differences between foreign language interpreter and educational interpreter duties and responsibilities

Foreign language interpreter example responsibilities.

Coach and teach students to achieve grades at or beyond expect IEP goals.
Translate patent's documentation from doctors who fill out prescription and directions in Tamil and Hindi.
Help to build collaboration with internal and international patients with medical staff, social organizations and insurance companies.
Create education and promotional materials relate to Latino health and wellness.

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.

Foreign language interpreter vs educational interpreter skills

Common foreign language interpreter skills

Target Language, 28%
Foreign Language, 27%
Medical Terminology, 23%
Facilitate Communication, 11%
Interpretation Services, 6%
Court Proceedings, 2%

Common educational interpreter skills

EIPA, 28%
Facilitate Communication, 15%
Math, 8%
Mathematics, 7%
IEP, 7%
Educational Programs, 7%

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Foreign Language Interpreter vs Educational Interpreter

Updated January 8, 2025

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