Annual Salary
Variable
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Law or Politics or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Law or Politics or go back to all job sectors
Interpreters convert spoken words from one language into another, in person, over the phone and online.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: freelance / self-employed; as customers demand
There will be
4.3% more Interpreter jobs in 2029.
There are 3 main types of professional interpreting:
As a conference interpreter you could:
As a business interpreter you may:
As a public service interpreter you could:
In all cases, you would prepare as much as possible. For example, by making notes, reading speeches beforehand, researching meeting topics and learning speakers' names and roles.
You could work at a client's business, at a conference centre, in an office, at a police station, in a court, in a prison or in an NHS or private hospital.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification in:
Check the Institute of Translation and Interpreting for courses.
You'll usually need:
You can do a college course in community interpreting if you are fluent in English and another language spoken by people in the community.
These courses are often available from introductory level to advanced.
You'll usually need some experience of paid or unpaid interpreting work in community settings to move on to the higher-level courses.
You'll need:
You can find volunteering opportunities as a community interpreter with:
Volunteering experience will be helpful if you want to apply to do a college course in interpreting, or to study to become professionally qualified.
You can do interpreting qualifications through a professional body, like the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
Courses include:
To be fluent in a second language, you should:be able to communicate quickly, smoothly and accurately; know and understand informal speech, slang and regional differences; understand the culture of the country or communities where the language is spoken
You can join an industry association to help with your professional development and to build up your network of contacts.
Organisations include:Institute of Translation and Interpreting; Chartered Institute of Linguists; International Association of Conference Interpreters; National Register of Public Service Interpreters
You can find out more about how to become an interpreter from the Institute of Translation and Interpreting.
With experience, you could:move into the co-ordination and management of interpreting services; specialise in a particular field, such as legal, medical or diplomatic work; set up your own interpreting agency in the public or private sector; work freelance and combine interpreting with training others
You'll need: