Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-3091

Interpreters and Translators

The published band from $37,070 to $103,660 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Art Directors.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Interpreters and Translators: Art Directors ($115K) , Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners ($72K) , Public Relations Specialists ($75K) , Producers and Directors ($90K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Interpreters and Translators publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-3091 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information
  2. 2. Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content…
  3. 3. Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary
  4. 4. Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material
  5. 5. Adapt translations to students' cognitive and grade levels, collaborating with educational team members as necessary
  6. 6. Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure tran…
  7. 7. Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revis…
  8. 8. Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors
  9. 9. Check original texts or confer with authors to ensure that translations retain the content, meaning, and feeling of the original material
  10. 10. Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience
  11. 11. Adapt software and accompanying technical documents to another language and culture
  12. 12. Educate students, parents, staff, and teachers about the roles and functions of educational interpreters

Interpreters and Translators: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-3091 - lead skill Speaking at 4.1 ; lead knowledge English Language. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 4.1
  2. 2. Active Listening 4.0
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  4. 4. Writing 3.8
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 3.6
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.6
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.1
  8. 8. Social Perceptiveness 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. English Language 4.7
  2. 2. Foreign Language 4.1
  3. 3. Customer and Personal Service 3.9
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.4
  5. 5. Administrative 3.2
  6. 6. Public Safety and Security 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$37,070 to $103,660
median $60,170 · ~2.8× spread
$60K
National median
↑ +2%
Growth 2024-2034
6,900
Annual openings
52,060
Estimated US jobs
Art Directors
Highest-pay peer · $115K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Interpreters and Translators

1. California $70,770
2. District of Columbia $109,970
3. New York $84,090
4. Rhode Island $82,320
5. Colorado $71,790
6. Oregon $66,300
7. Minnesota $66,410
8. Massachusetts $72,750
9. Connecticut $68,340
10. Maryland $88,550

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Public Relations Specialists $74,750
  2. 2. Art Directors $114,850
  3. 3. Producers and Directors $90,360
  4. 4. Writers and Authors $76,910
  5. 5. Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners $72,420
  6. 6. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620

The OEWS band for Interpreters and Translators runs from $37,070 (10th) to $103,660 (90th), about 2.8× wide, with median $60,170. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +2% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 6,900 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $70,770. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Art Directors at $114,850. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Interpreters and Translators pay-rank #25 in Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations

On the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table (36 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Interpreters and Translators lands at #25, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

The 10th-to-90th percentile spread for Interpreters and Translators is unusually wide, so the state map and peer comparison carry more signal than the median alone.

Interpreters and Translators salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 27-3091

California · top state for Interpreters and Translators

$71K published median

District of Columbia · #2 state pay

$110K · behind California

Art Directors

Highest-pay peer vs Interpreters and Translators · $115K

Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners

Lower-pay peer beside Interpreters and Translators · $72K

Compare Interpreters and Translators

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Interpreters and Translators with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Interpreters and Translators land on the Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations median table? ▼
Interpreters and Translators is pay-rank #25 of 36 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Broadcast Technicians ($60K), Audio and Video Technicians ($58K), Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators ($55K), Choreographers ($55K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do interpreters and translators do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Interpreters and Translators. Leading ones include: Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information; Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content…; Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary; Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for interpreters and translators? ▼
For SOC 27-3091, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (4.1), Active Listening (4.0), Reading Comprehension (3.9), Writing (3.8). Knowledge areas emphasize English Language, Foreign Language, Customer and Personal Service. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Interpreters and Translators? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $37,070 and the 90th at $103,660 for Interpreters and Translators (2.8× spread). The national median is $60,170. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Interpreters and Translators? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Interpreters and Translators is +2%. Projected annual openings: about 6,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Interpreters and Translators? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Interpreters and Translators. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Interpreters and Translators? ▼
California ($70,770), District of Columbia ($109,970), New York ($84,090) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Interpreters and Translators card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 27-3091. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Interpreters and Translators. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics