How to become a Translator

Also called: Language translator, Translation assistant, Ÿ Language translator, Ÿ Translation assistant

Translator converts works of literature, scientific articles, newspapers and magazine articles, political and legal documents, correspondence and other written or printed matter from one language into one or more other languages, utilising thorough knowledge of his/her mother-tongue and at least one foreign language and referring, where necessary, to dictionaries. He/she usually specialises in a particular language or subject-matter and is designated accordingly.

Main tasks

• Advising on or preparing language classification systems, grammars, dictionaries and similar materials
• Translating from one language into another and ensuring that the correct meaning of the original is retained, that legal, technical or scientific works are correctly rendered, and that the phraseology and terminology of the spirit and style of literary works are conveyed as far as possible
• Developing methods for the use of computers and other instruments to improve productivity and quality of translation
• Revising and correcting translated material

Ways in

• University: Arts & Humanities degrees, Offered by 3 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $77,472 a year. The middle half earn $57,312 to $107,088 a year.
• 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

• Interpreter
• Author
• Script writer/editor
• Content writer
• Technical writer
• Book editor

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Translator?

Ways in include: Arts & Humanities degrees.

How much does a Translator earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $77,472 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $57,312 to $107,088.

Will AI change the work of a Translator?

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

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• 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