AI AND YOUR JOB · CHECKED OCT 2026
Will AI replace translators?
Partly, and faster than most jobs. Machine translation now produces the first draft of much written work, and many translators spend more time checking and fixing it than translating from scratch. BLS still projects 2 percent growth for interpreters and translators from 2025 to 2035, and live interpreting in courts and hospitals remains firmly human.
- Tasks from the US Labor Department's O*NET
- Pay and outlook from BLS
- 9 sources
AI EXPOSURE TODAY
Medium
AI does 1 and helps with 6 of 13 core tasks. 6 are still human.
- AI does it (1)
- AI helps (6)
- Still human (6)
Task by task: what AI can do today
The core tasks of the job, from the US Labor Department's O*NET profile (27-3091.00). Each verdict links to its evidence.
| Task | Verdict | Tools doing it | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Check that technical terms are translated the same way every time | AI does this today | Smartcat, DeepL | Translation software stores past translations and glossaries and applies them automatically, so consistency checks are largely done for you and you review the flags. [2][3][4] |
| Translate written material such as legal documents, scientific papers or news reports | AI helps, you check | DeepL, Google Translate, Smartcat | Machine translation produces a full first draft, often keeping the file's formatting, but BLS says translators review it in a process called post editing and computers cannot yet match human work in most cases. [2][3][4] |
| Proofread, edit and revise translated material | AI helps, you check | DeepL | AI writing tools suggest clearer wording and catch slips, but the final read for meaning and tone is the part clients pay a translator for. [3][4] |
| Compile terminology and build glossaries for a client or subject | AI helps, you check | DeepL, Smartcat | Tools let you create and manage glossaries and translation memories that the AI then follows, but deciding the right term for each client is your call. [3][4] |
| Look up terms in dictionaries, reference works and terminology banks | AI helps, you check | DeepL | AI translation and writing tools offer word alternatives in seconds, but you still confirm specialist terms against trusted references. [3] |
| Adapt websites, software and technical documents to another language and culture | AI helps, you check | Weglot, Smartcat | Website tools translate every page automatically and let you or a translator edit each line before publishing, but cultural fit and brand voice need a person. [4][5] |
| Learn about the content, context and intended audience before translating | Still human | None | Knowing who will read the text and why shapes every choice, and that comes from talking with the client. |
| Check the original or confer with authors so the translation keeps its meaning and feeling | Still human | None | Tone, humor and intent are where machine output most often goes wrong, and only a person can ask the author what they meant. |
| Resolve conflicts about the meaning of words, concepts or cultural practices | Still human | None | Choosing between meanings that matter across cultures takes judgment and local knowledge. |
| Follow ethical codes that protect confidential information | Still human | None | You decide what can safely go into an online tool and you answer to the client if private material leaks. |
| Discuss translation needs with clients and set fees | Still human | None | Scoping a job, pricing it and agreeing on how much human review it needs is a business conversation. |
| Train and supervise other translators or interpreters | Still human | None | Coaching people and owning the quality of a team's work stays with experienced linguists. |
| Interpret speech or sign language live, simultaneously or consecutively | AI helps, you check | DeepL | Live voice translation apps such as DeepL Voice now handle everyday conversations, but courts and hospitals still require a certified interpreter in the room for anything that matters. [2][3] |
The job market for translators
Source: Interpreters and Translators. BLS expects this job to grow 2% over 2025 to 2035.
Where translators can move next
GROWING · $60,170
Certified court or medical interpreter
Live interpreting in courts and hospitals needs a trusted, often certified person in the room, and your language skills carry over directly. BLS counts interpreters and translators together, so pay and outlook shown are for the whole group. [2]
Median pay $60,170 · outlook +2%GROWING · $90,390
Technical writer
You already write precise, structured text and handle technical terms, and bilingual technical writers can own documentation in more than one market. Growth is slow, so it pays to specialize in a field like software or medical devices. [8]
Median pay $90,390 · outlook +1%GROWING · $51,850
Community health worker
This face to face role is growing much faster than average, and BLS notes that speaking another language helps in many communities. Pay is lower than translation, but the work is hard to automate. [9]
Median pay $51,850 · outlook +13%AI tools changing this job
Our honest reviews of the tools named above.
Top picks: The Best AI Translation Tool · The Best AI Writing Tool
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Quick questions
Will AI replace translators?
Not fully, but it is changing the job a lot. BLS still projects 2 percent growth for interpreters and translators from 2025 to 2035 and says computers cannot yet produce work comparable to human translators in most cases [2]. More of the work is now reviewing machine output, which BLS calls post editing [2].
Are translators already losing work to AI?
Some are. In a 2024 Society of Authors survey of 787 members, over a third of translators said they had lost work to generative AI and four in ten said their income had dropped [6].
Is interpreting safer from AI than translation?
For now, yes. Most states require certification for court interpreters, and BLS expects demand for American Sign Language interpreters to grow with video relay services [2]. Real time voice translation tools exist [3], but courts and hospitals still rely on people they can hold accountable.
Why do studies rank translators as one of the most AI exposed jobs?
A 2025 Microsoft Research study gave interpreters and translators the highest AI applicability score among the occupations it listed [7]. The authors warn that a high score does not mean the job will be automated or lose wages [7].
What AI tools should a translator learn?
Machine translation engines like DeepL, which offers glossaries, tone control and plug ins for translation software [3], and platforms like Smartcat that combine AI translation with translation memories and human review [4]. For websites, tools like Weglot translate pages automatically and let you edit each line [5].
Sources
Checked 2026-10-10. Verdicts are Leapscope's reading of these sources. We did not test these tools hands on for this page.
- Interpreters and Translators (27-3091.00), O*NET OnLine
- Interpreters and Translators, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- DeepL features, DeepL
- Translation quality tips with AI and human workflows, Smartcat
- Translate WordPress with Weglot, WordPress.org
- A third of translators report losing work to generative AI systems, SoA survey reveals, The Bookseller
- Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations, Microsoft Research (arXiv)
- Technical Writers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Community Health Workers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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