Also called: Mayan Language Interpreter, Mixteco / Mam Interpreter
Interprets for speakers of Native languages from Mexico and Central America, like Mam, K'iche' and Mixteco, in hospitals, courts and immigration hearings.
A farmworker who speaks only Mixteco is in the emergency room. On a video call you interpret between him and the doctor, explaining words that have no direct match. Later you interpret at an immigration hearing for a Mam-speaking teenager. Many people assume these families speak Spanish, but they don't.
Often freelance and paid by the hour.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Native fluency in an Indigenous language plus English or Spanish; interpreter training and certificates.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Linguistics, Interpreting Studies.
Growing much faster than average. Demand is rising fast in courts, hospitals and immigration.
Low risk for 10 years. Machine translation barely covers these languages; trusted live interpreting in medical and legal settings stays human.
Classes: Spanish, English, Health science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3091.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.