AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-3091.00
Will AI replace Interpreters and Translators?
Interpreters and Translators: AI can already handle 16 of 17 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 17 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Interpreters and Translators, from most to least exposed. 16 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read written materials, such as legal documents, scientific works, or news reports, and rewrite material into specified languages. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Adapt translations to students' cognitive and grade levels, collaborating with educational team members as necessary. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Check original texts or confer with authors to ensure that translations retain the content, meaning, and feeling of the original material. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Travel with or guide tourists who speak another language. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Discuss translation requirements with clients and determine any fees to be charged for services provided. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Proofread, edit, and revise translated materials. | Observed | Standard | |
| Educate students, parents, staff, and teachers about the roles and functions of educational interpreters. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Train and supervise other translators or interpreters. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Adapt software and accompanying technical documents to another language and culture. | Observed | Standard |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 5 of 17 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 12 of 17. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 52,060
- Median annual wage
- $60,170
- Middle half of earners
- $46,530 to $80,830
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +1.7%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure42
- Medical Transcriptionists 58% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure34
- Speech-Language Pathologists 57% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure51
- Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary 57% skill overlap, about 16 months to move Exposure64
- Word Processors and Typists 53% skill overlap, about 17 months to move Exposure73
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Interpreters and Translators and AI
Will AI replace Interpreters and Translators?
AI already handles 16 of the 17 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 75 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +1.7% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Interpreters and Translators?
75 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 5 of the 17 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 12 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Interpreters and Translators tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Read written materials, such as legal documents, scientific works, or news reports, and rewrite material into specified languages; Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible; Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material. They are three of the 16 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Interpreters and Translators, and what do they earn?
52,060 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $60,170 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +1.7% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Interpreters and Translators. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/interpreters-and-translators
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