How To Become A Spanish Interpreter: What It Is and Career Path

What is a spanish interpreter and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Laura Polhemus Ph.D.

A Spanish interpreter is a bilingual or multilingual individual that translates one language to Spanish and vice versa. They usually find job opportunities in foreign language schools, conferences, federal courts, healthcare facilities, call centers, and other places where there are communication gaps.

The main duty of a Spanish interpreter is to help individuals or groups overcome the language barrier. They interpret verbal conversations in real-time, facilitate communication in educational settings, and translate written content. They are also expected to keep all conversations confidential unless stated otherwise. Furthermore, they may also work in schools or training programs as Spanish teachers.

There is no strict requirement to become a Spanish interpreter when it comes to education, but this depends on the line of work they are planning to enter. For instance, if a business requires a Spanish interpreter to translate business meetings from one language to another, they may need to have a business-related background to be able to interpret business terms effectively.

The average salary of a Spanish interpreter ranges from $29,000 to $58,000 per year. They may also work independently as a freelancer or may work full-time for a company that needs regular interpretation services.

What general advice would you give to a spanish interpreter?

Laura Polhemus Ph.D.

Advanced Assistant Professor, Bethel University

Always be involved with the Deaf community where you live. Go to events, volunteer where appropriate, and seek out ways to be involved. This will grow your ASL skills and your understanding of how to be a good ally. Never stop learning. Listen to podcasts, watch ASL news, read, go to workshops, seek out mentors, and continue to learn and grow to become more knowledgeable of the world and the languages you're using. Give yourself grace and practice self-care. It will take many hours of practice to become an expert, so don't expect that to happen immediately. The biggest difference between experts and novices in this field is that experts know how to see a mistake and turn it around into something that motivates them or sometime they can learn from instead of seeing it only as a negative. Take advantage of massages, counseling, chiropractic services, and other types of self-care to keep yourself healthy physically and mentally.

ScoreSpanish InterpreterUS Average

Salary

3.4

Avg. Salary $43,067

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.1

Growth rate 20%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

7.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.22%

Asian 6.41%

Black or African American 4.77%

Hispanic or Latino 47.94%

Unknown 4.22%

White 36.45%

Gender

female 71.61%

male 28.39%

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 spanish interpreter

Explore spanish interpreter education requirements

Most common spanish interpreter degrees

Bachelor's

49.6 %

Associate

16.4 %

High School Diploma

11.9 %

Start to develop specific spanish interpreter skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	41.06%
Medical Terminology	12.94%
Translation Services	3.62%
Spanish Language	3.15%
Language Services	2.79%

Complete relevant spanish interpreter training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New spanish interpreters 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 spanish interpreter based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real spanish interpreter resumes.

Research spanish interpreter duties and responsibilities

Provide accurate Spanish interpretation to LEP in medical, legal and social settings.
Serve as a simultaneous interpreter between providers and patients keeping communication efficient by taking consideration of cultural differences between them.
Make the LEP feel comfortable enough to honestly and accurately convey information.
Create worksheets and design activities to teach an ESL student to read, write, and speak English.

Prepare your spanish interpreter resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your spanish interpreter resume.

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