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Language Translation

Types of Degrees Language Translation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Language Translation have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	89
Associate’s Degree	52
Bachelor’s Degree	75
Master’s Degree	737
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Language Translation Majors Need to Know

Programs in Language Translation emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Language Translation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Language Translation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Foreign Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 2.8 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Language Translation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Language Translation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Language Translation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.7 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	3.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Language Translation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Zoom	Video conferencing software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
American Sign Language ASL browser	Dictionary software	—
Computer assisted language learning CALL software	Foreign language software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Language Translation graduates include:

• Bilingual Teacher
• Associate Professor
• ESL Instructor (English as a Second Language Instructor)
• Modern Languages Professor
• Teacher
• Arabic Professor
• Chinese Language Professor
• Spanish Literature Professor
• Spanish Language Lecturer
• French Instructor
• Program Instructor
• Language Instructor
• Swahili Teacher
• Adjunct Spanish Instructor
• Languages Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Language Translation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	44.6%
Bachelor’s degree	26.8%
Master’s degree	21.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Language Translation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 82.7% of Language Translation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	800	82.7%
Men	167	17.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Language Translation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	222	23.0%
Asian	42	4.3%
Hispanic or Latino	489	50.6%
Black or African American	28	2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.4%
Two or More Races	13	1.3%
Race Unknown	42	4.3%
International Students	127	13.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Language Translation Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Language Translation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$28,314
4 years	$43,990
5 years	$52,123

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,123 — roughly 84% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Language Translation Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Language Translation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	2
Master’s	1	2

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Language Translation Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Language Translation graduates earn a median of $43,990 four years after completion — roughly 16% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services	16.01
Applied Linguistics	16.0105
Comparative Literature	16.0104
Foreign Languages and Literatures, General	16.0101
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other	16.0199
Linguistics	16.0102
African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.0201
Albanian Language and Literature	16.0404
American Indian/Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1001
American Sign Language (ASL)	16.1601
Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics	16.1103
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature	16.1202

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.