How to hire interpreters and translators
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions. • Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience. • Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. • Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information. • Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors. • Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary. • Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy. • Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong speaking, active listening, reading comprehension, writing, critical thinking and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of English Language, foreign language and customer and personal service • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $28.93 an hour ($60,170 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for interpreters and translators
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What interpreters and translators do
- Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
- Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for interpreters and translators
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Job outlook: +2% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 6,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay interpreters and translators
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $88,550 |
| New York | $84,090 |
| Massachusetts | $72,750 |
| Colorado | $71,790 |
| California | $70,770 |
| Indiana | $48,140 |
| Texas | $47,510 |
| Michigan | $45,310 |
See interpreters and translators pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.