The most important thing is a heart for serving God. An advanced education is beneficial to a successful translation. Most of our translators have Master's degrees in linguistics. Several have doctorates. Administrative and organizational skills are a plus.
Computer skills are quite valuable.
These are all highly desirable things, but we don't necessarily hold religiously to them as requirements. For example, let us tell you about Bhaskor Kandpan, Evangel's translator to the Pengo people in India. Bhaskor has minimal training, lives on the edge of a jungle, and until recently, worked with only pencil and paper. He produced, however, the Gospel of Mark and 10 Bible stories in Pengo in only a short time. The biggest requirements of a Bible translator are a love and respect for God's Word and a reliance on His Spirit.