How to become an Interpreter
Also called: Court interpreter, Sign language interpreter, Court interpreter, Sign language interpreter
Interpreter converts spoken passages in one or more languages into one or more other languages. He/she interprets speech directly or from played-back recordings, utilising thorough knowledge of his/her mother-tongue and at least one foreign language. He/she may use shorthand to facilitate the interpretation of speeches and may make translations of articles and documents in writing. He/she usually specialises in a particular language or subject-matter and is designated accordingly. He/she may also interpret at court proceedings and be designated as Court interpreter.
Main tasks
- Interpreting from a spoken or a signed language into another spoken or signed language, in particular at conferences, meetings and similar occasions, and ensuring that the correct meaning and, as far as possible, the spirit of the original are transmitted
Ways in
- University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 3 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Related jobs
Not sure this is for you? Take the 2-minute career quiz
Questions people ask
How do I become an Interpreter?
Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees.
Will AI change the work of an Interpreter?
Generative AI could change many tasks in this job, which usually reshapes the work more than it replaces it, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026