Also called: Presidential Interpreter
Interprets for the President, Secretary of State, and top officials in sensitive meetings with foreign leaders.
Travels with a delegation to a summit, interprets a private meeting between two presidents word for word, and keeps everything strictly confidential.
Federal senior pay estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 8 years after high school. Master's in interpreting plus years of top-level experience; security clearance.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Foreign Languages, Translation & Interpretation.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Estimate; very few positions.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Leaders want a cleared, trusted human in private summits; AI may handle routine government meetings.
Classes: Two AP world languages, AP Government, Speech and debate.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3091.
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