How to hire a site interpreter

How to hire a site interpreter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step site 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 site interpreter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new site interpreter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the site interpreter you need to hire. Certain site 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a site interpreter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a site interpreter that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of site interpreter salaries for various roles:

   Type of Site Interpreter	Description	Hourly rate
   Site 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
   Cryptologic Linguist	Cryptologic linguists are lingual professionals who are responsible for using signals equipment to identify and analyze foreign communications. These linguists must assist intelligence community analysts in translating open source and sensitive materials as well as producing comprehensive reports about the daily activities of their enemies... Show more	$12-32
   Arabic Linguist	Arabic linguists are experts who interpret and translate research or business documents that are written in the Arab language or its dialects. These linguists are required to advise peers and superiors about the Arabic language and culture while providing inputs of written reports developed from target materials utilizing the specific Arabic language... Show more	$13-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Services
   • Historic Sites
   • Target Language
   • LEP
   • Interpretation Services
   • ASL
   • Historical Research
   • Historic Buildings
   • Social Security
   • Financial Institutions

   Responsibilities:

   • Coach and teach students to achieve grades at or beyond expect IEP goals.
   • Help to build collaboration with internal and international patients with medical staff, social organizations and insurance companies.
   • Provide professional media relations, and VIP presentations to donor associations and government officials.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, site interpreters' average salary in nevada is 57% less than in district of columbia.
   • Seniority. Entry-level site interpreters earn 63% less than senior-level site interpreters.
   • Certifications. A site 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 site interpreter's salary.

   Average site interpreter salary

   $44,292yearly

   $21.29 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level site interpreter salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 30, 2025

4. Writing a site interpreter job description

   A site interpreter job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a site interpreter job description:

   Site interpreter job description example

   Salary Range: $12.56 - $13.29 hourly

   Hiring Range: $12.56 - $13.00 hourly

   Job Summary:

   The Museum Aide - Historic Site Interpreter is a part-time hourly position working primarily April through October between the hours of 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. The aide's primary function is to conduct and support living history programs, events, and tours in period clothing for a diverse museum audience. Further hours during the rest of the year, from November-March, are available to assist with special events, programming, and resource-based projects. Additional duties may include visitor services responsibilities such as admission and gift shop sales, restocking merchandise, and light gardening. This position reports to the Curator of Historic Sites.

   Experience, Knowledge, Skills:

   • Demonstrated ability in public speaking and customer service
   • Experience in third-person interpretation techniques desired
   • Ability to adapt verbal and visual communication to diverse audience groups
   • Follow written and verbal instructions, policies, and procedures
   • Experience working with children in an informal or formal learning environment
   • Knowledge of Greeley, Weld County, and Colorado history
   • High School graduate/GED equivalent
   • Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office
   • Knowledge of basic accounting and cash handling

   Essential Functions:

   • Conduct living history programs and tours in period clothing
   • Set up & take down interpretive/demonstration stations before & after regular operation hours, festivals, and special events
   • Use Point of Sales system to complete admissions and gift shop transactions
   • Clean/Sanitize highly trafficked area on rotation
   • Perform daily cash counts for deposit
   • Work independently as well as with others
   • Follow established safety policy and practices at all times

   Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

   • Frequent and heavy interaction with museum visitors
   • Work is primarily performed on an outdoor 8-acre site where weather conditions can vary
   • May be required to move, bend, twist, and stoop in performance of job duties
   • Stamina sufficient to stand and walk for long periods of time
   • Must be comfortable working in historical clothing
   • Vision enough to preform job duties
   • Hearing and speech enough to effectively communicate with site visitors in person through presenting history programs and answering questions for group size ranging from 1 - 100 people

   Conditions of Employment: Candidates must successfully complete all pre-employment screenings and employment eligibility verification. Pre-employment screenings include a drug test, a background and national sex offender search, a motor vehicle record search, and for some positions, a physical demands evaluation. For more information about City policies and practices during the recruitment process, including but not limited to EOE, Reasonable Accommodation, and pre-employment screenings, please visit our career page HERE .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find site interpreters for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any site interpreters they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level site interpreters with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your site interpreter job on Zippia to find and recruit site interpreter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as problogger, media bistro, journalismjobs.com, content writing jobs.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with site 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 site interpreter

   Once you've found the site 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 good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new site interpreter first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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