These vacancies, however, will quickly be filled by highly skilled workers. In California the languages that are necessary to know for the majority of translation and interpreting jobs are Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese. The employment outlook for sign language Interpreters is good. This is due in part to laws that require that services of federally funded programs be available to the deaf and to the Americans with Disabilities Act, enacted in 1990. This act requires that employers provide an interpreter for deaf individuals if they employ 25 or more workers for 20 or more calendar weeks in a year.
Salaries vary widely in the private sector.
Conference interpreting generally pays more than guide or escort interpreting. Salaries of free-lance Translators depend on the number of words or pages they need to translate. Earnings are generally lower in the private sector. However, the United Nations and other international agencies pay higher rates than the U.S. government. Free- lancers can't expect to work full time.