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Job outlook for freelance interpreter/translators in the United States
Freelance interpreter/translator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected freelance interpreter/translator job growth rate is 20% from 2018-2028.
About 14,000 new jobs for freelance interpreter/translators are projected over the next decade.
Freelance interpreter/translator salaries have increased 13% for freelance interpreter/translators in the last 5 years.
There are over 12,728 freelance interpreter/translators currently employed in the United States.
There are 4,205 active freelance interpreter/translator job openings in the US.
The average freelance interpreter/translator salary is $43,741.
Are freelance interpreter/translator jobs in demand?
Freelance Interpreter/Translator job and salary trends over time
Freelance Interpreter/Translator jobs over time
Freelance Interpreter/Translator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,728 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 13,887 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 14,362 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 13,940 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 12,967 | 0.00% |
Average freelance interpreter/translator salary over time
Freelance Interpreter/Translator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $43,741 | $21.03 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $43,323 | $20.83 | +3.8% |
| 2023 | $41,735 | $20.06 | +5.8% |
| 2022 | $39,444 | $18.96 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $38,550 | $18.53 | +4.4% |
Freelance Interpreter/Translator jobs by state
Most common states for freelance interpreter/translators
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 327 | 8% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 41 | 6% |
| 3 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 105 | 2% |
| 4 | New York | 19,849,399 | 129 | 1% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 93 | 1% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 74 | 1% |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 70 | 1% |
| 8 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 62 | 1% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 53 | 1% |
| 10 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 42 | 1% |
| 11 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 21 | 1% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 17 | 1% |
| 13 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 17 | 1% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 16 | 1% |
| 15 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 14 | 1% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 12 | 1% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 11 | 1% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 11 | 1% |
| 19 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 9 | 1% |
| 20 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 8 | 1% |
Most common cities for freelance interpreter/translators
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 1 | 0% | $43,231 |
Freelance Interpreter/Translator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of freelance interpreter/translator experts
University of California - Davis
Kent State University
International Association of Conference Interpreters
NAJIT
Victoria Juharyan
University of California - Davis
Slavic, Baltic And Albanian Languages, Literatures, And Linguistics
What general advice would you give to a Freelance Interpreter/Translator?
Victoria Juharyan: Another field that needs professionals with a good command of Russian is the medical field. Translators are in high demand for serving patients who do not speak English. Russian-speakers can also help Ukrainian refugees in the US.
What Freelance Interpreter/Translator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Victoria Juharyan: The UN has some fantastic internships and volunteer opportunities for students of Russian in their Global Communications and many other departments. I strongly recommend recent graduates beginning their career in the field to apply to those and to also explore and participate in their Young Professionals Programme and the competitive examinations (CELPs), which create rosters to fill language positions at multiple locations.
What will help Freelance Interpreter/Translators increase their earning potential?
Victoria Juharyan: A degree in Russian Studies opens many doors — be it in arts, music, literature, and languages or international relations, business, politics, and diplomacy. 20% of the Earth’s population speaks Russian. It’s one of the critical languages of the United Nations as well as a highly demanded language for jobs at the CIA and the FBI.
What general advice would you give to a Freelance Interpreter/Translator?
Tanya Bystrova-McIntyre Ph.D.: Assess your current language abilities and identify your strengths and interests. Do you enjoy working from home? Become a Russian freelance translator and a phone interpreter. Enjoy helping others? Join a humanitarian organization, help refugees, or volunteer in a Russian-speaking community (and we have so many in the U.S.). Enjoy politics? Choose a career with a political twist—Russia is a limitless source of political interest. Love teaching? There are also opportunities there. Looking for a career in business? Offer your services as a cultural consultant. Would like to strengthen your language abilities and your resume? Go to live abroad for a year, in the Baltics or Kazakhstan, for instance—you will not regret learning about people and cultures first-hand.
Katty Kauffman
US-based Freelance Interpreter, member of AIIC, representative of the VEGA Outreach and Mentoring NetworkInternational Association of Conference Interpreters
What type of skills will young Freelance Interpreter/Translators need?
Katty Kauffman: Interpreters need a range of skills, which fall roughly into three categories:
- Skills covered by your university program. These include technical skills in Simultaneous Interpreting, Consecutive Interpreting and Sight Translation, as well as professional ethics. Ethics are increasingly important at the moment when, because of Covid-related health restrictions, many of us are, unfortunately, having to work without a boothmate until normality returns, and still need to maintain a high level of trust with agencies and clients.
- Skills you may not have covered in school, which are vital as a freelancer. You need soft skills to help you network and engage with potential clients. Applying for pre-candidacy and subsequently joining AIIC as a full member can also raise your visibility within the industry.
An understanding of how to run your own business is also essential. Know what contract you are being offered, how to write an invoice, and which tax structure is best for you. If you are planning on working for yourself, be aware of what is happening with the PRO Act (H.R.2474) and the consequences it may have for freelance workers.
-Technical skills. On the business side, you are creating your own brand, so nowadays, you need a website and a social media presence. Understanding the workings of various RSI platforms and the equipment you need is also fundamental.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Freelance Interpreter/Translators to find work opportunities?
Katty Kauffman: Conference interpreting is a smaller industry in the U.S. than it is in Europe, where there are a lot of large institutions working daily in multiple languages. Although we do have large institutions that employ conference interpreters, like the UN in New York and the World Bank, IDB, and Pan American Health Organization in Washington, unless they have a particularly sought after language combination, young graduates will find more opportunities by starting their working life in medical institutions or as court interpreters. Both of these require additional, specialized studies and national or state certification, so make sure you know your state's requirements so you can make the best choices for your career.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Freelance Interpreter/Translator job market given the pandemic?
Aimee Benavides: One big trend right now, that will affect many professions, is the push to limit the ability of service providers to be independent contractors. This has proven to be a controversial subject as the reactions to laws such as AB5 enacted in California and S4204, which was proposed in New Jersey, have demonstrated. These bills have made many freelancers fear the viability of future contract work, while others welcome the prospect of full-time employment with benefits. Navigating the complexities is not easy. It will require that legislators listen to both stakeholders and constituents so that they may fine-tune laws to allow for the many nuances inherent to highly skilled professions such as a court, conference, and medical interpreting. Those who are entering the profession will need to have a clear idea of what is required to be a business owner, if they wish to operate independently.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Freelance Interpreter/Translators?
Aimee Benavides: The pandemic has changed the way a lot of businesses and organizations function, and this has had an enormous impact on interpreters and, to a lesser degree, translators. Court interpreting has traditionally been provided in person at courthouses, legal offices, and conference rooms, throughout the country. Remote interpreting, for the most part, was considered a last resort. Under current circumstances, courts and other public sector offices have had no option but to adopt remote interpreting as the means to get work done, and it is logical that some offices may continue to emphasize the use of remote services, after the pandemic, as a way to cut costs. It will be of utmost importance to insist that interpreter qualifications not be bypassed to save resources, or for the sake of convenience, in critical environments such as hospitals or courts. In order to preserve the essential progress made over the years with regard to language access, it is crucial to adhere to clear, well-founded professional rules in the areas of interpreting and translation. It will also be important for interpreters to adapt to different technologies, determine when they are appropriate, and ultimately uphold best practices. Interpreters who are familiar with online interpreting platforms and remote technology will ultimately have more opportunities and options than those who do not.