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Whether it\u2019s in a boardroom, on a computer screen, or on their block, Americans are more likely today to interact with people who speak a different language than ever before. The number of Americans who speak languages other than English is at an all-time high. And if you\u2019re bilingual, you might have a leg up on one of the most important professions of tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Translation and interpretation services is the fastest-growing industry in the country by job growth, according to a report released last week by the website CareerBuilder. According to the report (which collects data from 90 government sources), the industry is expected to add about 12,400 jobs between 2014 and 2019, or a 36 percent increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also predicts a 46 percent increase in translation job opportunities between 2012 and 2022\u2014much higher than the 11 percent average growth for all careers. The only occupation the agency predicts will have a higher growth rate than translators and interpreters is home health care aides\u2014expected to grow at a rate of 48 percent\u2014which are also near the top on CareerBuilder\u2019s list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Two factors are powering the translation industry\u2019s growth, Jiri Stejskal, a spokesperson for the American Translators Association, told Fusion: businesses expanding into new markets abroad and increasing immigration into the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Most translators and interpreters work on a freelance basis. The average pay is $45,430 per year, according to the BLS, but there\u2019s a big difference between translating at a local senior center to whispering in President Obama\u2019s ear during an overseas visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cGood translators can get six-digit salaries easily,\u201d Stejskal said. \u201cThere\u2019s a huge range.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re ready to start translating your cover letter, however, here\u2019s a less encouraging statistic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cI receive 25 to 50 resumes a day,\u201d Tony Guerra, the director of interpretation services at CETRA, a translation company with offices around the world, told Fusion. In part, that\u2019s because of the low barrier to entry. \u201cAlmost anyone who is bilingual could potentially have access to this as a job as a translator or interpreter,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
But Guerra noted that \u201cbeing bilingual does not make you capable of being an interpreter or translator, just as having two hands does not make you a concert pianist.\u201d There\u2019s a lot of hard work and study that goes into the perfect translation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
While some translators and interpreters first go through a training program or get a degree, others start out without formal training. The best, Guerra said, are often immigrants who have experience in another field\u2014medicine or engineering, for example\u2014and then use the specialized vocabulary of their former profession for their clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The job has something for everyone: Translators generally work on texts\u2014a role that\u2019s more research-intensive and writing-based\u2014and interpreters deal with simultaneous in-person translation at events or meetings, a job that\u2019s more social and \u201cmore of a performance,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Some might think that Google Translate and other digital translation services would make human translators irrelevant, especially as translation technology has made leaps and bounds in advances over the last few decades. But people in the industry say that machine translation tools are an opportunity, not a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\u201cTechnology is here to stay, and it\u2019s going to become more and more prevalent,\u201d Guerra said. \u201cGoogle Translate has a role: it can provide a very rough and overall sense. But it does not understand or distinguish certain phrases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Guerra once saw a shoddy English to Spanish translation service read the phrase \u201ctake once a day\u201d in directions for a medicine and assume \u201conce\u201d was already in Spanish. Once means 11, so the final translation suggested that the pill should be taken 11 times a day. (Luckily, a human reviewer prevented any overdoses.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Translation can be a high-stakes job, especially if you\u2019re working in diplomacy, criminal justice, or medicine. \u201cEvery word counts,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n