Headline risk
16%
Moderate RiskInterpreters and translators
AI displacement pressure score for United States AI Work Index, combining global AI task overlap with local wages, employment trends, and demand signals.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 18% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 59,440
Employment 2024
75.3K
Projected Change (2024–34)
1.7%
Openings (2024–34)
6.9K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information. AI use: 0%
- 2. Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy. AI use: 0%
- 3. Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible. AI use: 78%
- 4. Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. AI use: 0%
- 5. Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors. AI use: 0%
- 6. Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 45.6 · 97K employed
Under 25: 3% · 25–54: 63% · 55+: 34%
Related
No direct US role match is available yet for this occupation.
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Data quality
Employment data available
Narrative & sources
Interpreters and translators convert information from one language into another language.
Interpreters and translators work in settings such as schools, hospitals, courtrooms, meeting rooms, and conference centers. Part-time work is common, and work schedules may vary.
Interpreters and translators typically need at least a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. They also must be proficient in English and at least one other language, as well as in the interpretation or translation service they intend to provide.
The median annual wage for interpreters and translators was $59,440 in May 2024.
Employment of interpreters and translators is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Important context
This score measures structural AI displacement pressure, not actual job losses. Local wages and demand data are specific to United States AI Work Index; the underlying AI task overlap analysis is consistent across all countries.