Since 2007, a time when most of the economy was taking a severe beating, translation and interpretation services have grown by about 50%. According to NAICS, this industry (541930) “comprises establishments primarily engaged in translating written material and interpreting speech from one language to another and establishments primarily engaged in providing sign language services.”
Here is an overview:
In the U.S. there are currently 3,000 establishments, or places of work, that provide translation services. From 2007 to 2011, the industry created over 7,000 new jobs and now has nearly 22,000 estimated jobs. Over 60% of the people employed in this sector are female and more than 50% are younger workers — between the ages of 25 and 44.
Below is a closer look at some of the top occupations in the translation industry.
- One in five in the the workforce (over 4,000) are employed as interviewers.
- Survey and market researchers make up another 12% of the industry.
- Interpreters and translators compose over 5% of the industry.
- Customer service also plays an important role in this industry. It is increasingly common to see customer service reps as key parts of industry staffing patterns.