How To Become A Language Translator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a language translator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Sharon Rowley Ph.D.

Someone who loves to learn new languages and wants to make a career out of it can often end up as a language translator. These linguistic professionals convert information from one language to another so that people can understand the original source in their native language. While working as independent foreign language translators under software development companies, they translate and transcribe important information. Moreover, language translators also interpret administrative hearings, conferences, and meetings.

Normally language translators have a bachelor's degree, but some of them even complete their master's degree before applying for jobs. Commonly, they study Linguistics, English, or Business. Knowledge and understanding of foreign languages, Haitian Creole, translation services, or Hindi can be seen in the resumes of language translators.

Normally, working as a language translator, you can earn around $22 in an hour and make more than $45,000 per year. The career has a good growth rate with more job opportunities in the future.

What general advice would you give to a language translator?

Sharon Rowley Ph.D.

Professor, Christopher Newport University

I would advise graduates to think positively and remember that adaptability --- which involves creativity and the ability to think critically and evaluate situations --- can be a crucial asset for graduating English majors. The study of writing and literature requires students to practice and master a wide range of practical skills, including problem-solving and time management. At the same time, they engage with people and learn how to use a variety of technologies. Students in English also learn to communicate clearly in oral, written, and digital modes. Emotional intelligence, a capacity increased by reading and discussing literature, is also high on the list of characteristics that many employers seek, so English provides an excellent background, practical skills, and critical competencies that today's employers are looking for.

ScoreLanguage TranslatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,490

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 17.99%

Black or African American 6.19%

Hispanic or Latino 31.53%

Unknown 5.53%

White 38.47%

Gender

female 60.56%

male 39.44%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

6.1

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a language translator

Explore language translator education requirements

Most common language translator degrees

Bachelor's

57.9 %

Master's

15.4 %

Associate

9.4 %

Start to develop specific language translator skills

Skills	Percentages
Proofreading	15.91%
Foreign Language	14.74%
Target Language	11.88%
Haitian Creole	10.39%
Thai	8.67%

Complete relevant language translator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New language translators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a language translator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real language translator resumes.

Research language translator duties and responsibilities

Lead an international team of HUMINT collectors for the NATO mission in Bosnia where overt and covert collection protocols are observed.
Provide written translations from Dari and Pashto, and some Urdu, into English.
Consult employees on proper multicultural etiquette while connecting with Thai, Thai Yai, and Burmese sex workers.
Conduct interviews for a study on the male sex work industry and translate the answers from Thai to English.

Prepare your language translator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your language translator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a language translator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable language translator resume templates

Build a professional language translator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your language translator resume.