How much on average do interpreters earn?

Question

In any company or field, I would be interested to learn how much interpreters earn. Also, the languages I am going to learn in order to become one are:

- french (already somewhat fluent)

- spanish (already almost fluent)

- greek (just beginning to learn)

- italian (learning)

- chinese (not yet learnt)

..Is that alright for an interpreter so far? And will I need qualifications in all of these?

Answer 1

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Salaried interpreters and translators had median hourly earnings of $17.10 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent earned between $12.94 and $22.60. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.88, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $30.91.

Earnings depend on language, subject matter, skill, experience, education, certification, and type of employer, and salaries of interpreters and translators can vary widely. Interpreters and translators who know languages for which there is a greater demand, or which relatively few people can translate, often have higher earnings as do those with specialized expertise, such as those working in software localization. Individuals classified as language specialists for the Federal Government earned an average of $76,287 annually in 2007. Limited information suggests that some highly skilled interpreters and translators—for example, high-level conference interpreters—working full time can earn more than $100,000 annually.

For more info, try here:

http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos175.htm