Your work. Your records.
Interpreter and Translator Workplace Records
Language work may involve live interpretation, written translation or preparing terminology for a specialized assignment. An employment concern should distinguish the task requested and the conditions under which you performed it. Keep the client’s confidential content out of your own record while preserving the instructions and employment terms you may retain.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Assignment terms
Identify the format, language pair and scope given to you without private subject details.
Revision request
List changes to scope or terminology and the approval or clarification received.
Compensation record
Pair your own payment statement with the agreement and disputed preparation or revision work.
Start with the work you actually do
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Interpreters and Translators (27-3091.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.Source task 9326 · updated 08/2021
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.Source task 9328 · updated 08/2021
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.Source task 9335 · updated 08/2021
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.Source task 9333 · updated 08/2021
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Interpreters and Translators (SOC 27-3091). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $17.24 | $22.18 | $29.35 | $46,130 |
| Alaska | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Arizona | $18.26 | $24.11 | $31.06 | $50,150 |
| Arkansas | $21.26 | $25.24 | $32.35 | $52,490 |
| Connecticut | $22.34 | $32.85 | $45.17 | $68,340 |
| Delaware | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Florida | $18.67 | $23.53 | $37.74 | $48,930 |
| Georgia | $22.34 | $27.83 | $39.67 | $57,880 |
| Hawaii | $19.14 | $20.32 | $30.96 | $42,270 |
| Idaho | $27.18 | $31.80 | $46.57 | $66,130 |
| Indiana | $21.51 | $23.14 | $31.67 | $48,140 |
| Iowa | $19.45 | $23.15 | $25.78 | $48,150 |
| Kansas | $19.32 | $23.05 | $32.58 | $47,950 |
| Kentucky | $21.19 | $25.77 | $35.18 | $53,590 |
| Louisiana | $17.32 | $23.28 | $26.35 | $48,420 |
| Maine | $26.18 | $30.51 | $44.77 | $63,470 |
| Michigan | $17.30 | $21.78 | $33.57 | $45,310 |
| Minnesota | $30.29 | $31.93 | $37.75 | $66,410 |
| Mississippi | $17.28 | $27.47 | $36.86 | $57,130 |
| Missouri | $21.48 | $27.41 | $38.28 | $57,010 |
| Montana | $19.88 | $23.01 | $25.30 | $47,850 |
| Nebraska | $22.91 | $25.51 | $30.80 | $53,050 |
| New Hampshire | $26.80 | $27.10 | $27.10 | $56,370 |
| New Mexico | $20.08 | $30.55 | $41.30 | $63,550 |
| New York | $26.93 | $40.43 | $51.83 | $84,090 |
| North Carolina | $19.99 | $24.05 | $33.21 | $50,030 |
| North Dakota | $22.73 | $23.17 | $27.20 | $48,190 |
| Ohio | $23.36 | $29.44 | $38.00 | $61,230 |
| Oklahoma | $19.43 | $23.55 | $29.50 | $48,980 |
| Pennsylvania | $21.69 | $27.42 | $38.75 | $57,040 |
| Rhode Island | $28.00 | $39.58 | $64.55 | $82,320 |
| South Dakota | $22.61 | $25.55 | $31.35 | $53,140 |
| Tennessee | $18.79 | $24.56 | $31.14 | $51,080 |
| Texas | $18.27 | $22.84 | $30.24 | $47,510 |
| Utah | $24.08 | $31.62 | $38.45 | $65,770 |
| Vermont | $29.96 | $30.02 | $52.95 | $62,450 |
| Virginia | $22.84 | $30.30 | $41.79 | $63,030 |
| West Virginia | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Wisconsin | $23.34 | $30.48 | $36.91 | $63,390 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Identify assignment and revision boundaries
Record the language pair, format and general subject area without private client details. Note requested changes, reference materials supplied and the role reviewing the result. Distinguish a translation you submitted from revisions made later, or your interpretation from a statement supplied by another person.
Explain preparation and engagement terms
List required terminology preparation, session attendance and follow-up relevant to the pay question. Retain your own agreement and cancellation or revision terms. A session duration or word count alone may not explain your work arrangement, and a contractor label does not settle employment classification.
Protect source confidentiality
Do not retain client documents, medical or legal content, participant identities or recordings in a personal employment folder. Identify relevant assignment-record types for controlled review. Keep your own permitted rate, scheduling and feedback messages without disclosing the communication you were entrusted to interpret.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
Call now(800) 800-5555Current service-state coverage
AK, AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Eligibility is evaluated individually; this list does not promise representation.
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