Interpreters and Translators Among Most In-Demand & High-Paying Jobs of 2014

By Melissa Castellanos First Posted: Jan 10, 2014 05:14 PM EST

With a growing Latino and increasingly diversified population in the United States, there is a demand for interpreters and translators in 2014, among other occupations that make up the Top 12 high-wage, in-demand, skilled positions this year.

While high-paying jobs that offer financial and career security are enticing, there is another perk that comes along with being an interpreter and a translator -- personal gratification for helping students and families in need of support and clarification. (The Latin Post takes a closer look at this trend further into the story.)

CareerBuilder teamed up with Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) to identify the occupations that grew by at least seven percent from 2010 to 2013, are projected to grow in 2014, and pay at least $22 per hour. EMSI data is collected from more than 90 federal and state sources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and state labor departments, according to Business Insider.

"In addition to higher pay levels and solid growth rates, what many of these jobs have in common is a talent shortage," Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of the book "The Talent Equation," tells Business Insider. "Recruitment of skilled labor in specialized areas like information technology and health care has become highly competitive."

CareerBuilder also points out that "not only do these jobs offer financial and career security, but they also contribute to the economic growth of other occupations," AOL Jobs reports. It also notes that job seekers need to be ready to prove their skills in order to land one of these roles.

"More high-wage jobs will be created in 2014 which will, in turn, fuel the creation of jobs at lower pay levels," added Ferguson. "The challenge is many of these in-demand, skilled positions are in areas where companies are already experiencing a shortage of qualified labor. As a nation, we need to focus on reskilling workers of all ages and providing them with affordable education to catch up to labor demands in technology, health care and other key sectors."

According to the report, data for interpreters and translators is as follows:

Total employment in 2013: 69,887

Added 8,377 jobs from 2010-2013, up 14 percent

Median hourly earnings: $22.39

Foreign Language Liaison for the District (Worcester, Mass. Public Schools) and Coordinator of Interpretation/Translation Carmela Szklarz confirms the demand for interpreters and translators and sees the need on a daily basis.

"We are mandated by the state to translate all of the work for the district in six foreign languages, which are: Albanian, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese and Twi," Szklarz told the Latin Post.

However, Szklarz, who is fluent in French, Spanish, Italian and English, points out that she and her staff accommodate whatever the district needs.

"We offer so many services from any country just about," she added.

The interpretation and translation services offered include: Afrikaans, Albanian, Aramaic/Arabic, Burmese, Cambodian/Khmer, Farsi/Persian, French, Creole, German, Hindi, Japanese, Kinyarwanda/Kirundi, Kiswahili/Swahili, Korean, Krahn/Liberian/English, Mandarin/Chinese, Nepalese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Sesotho, Setswana, Sign Language, Somali, Spanish, Taiwanese, Twi/Ga/Eve, Urdu, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu and Kaba.

Szklarz, who is originally from Italy, came to the U.S. when she was 14 years old. While she was already a middle school graduate with multilingual skills, she was placed in sixth grade and needed to learn English.

As the only Italian in the group -- the other students learning English were from Puerto Rico and various Latin American countries as well as Turkey and Greece -- she learned English and eventually skipped ninth grade and went onto tenth grade. She completed three years of high school and graduated, and then attended Assumption College, where she taught Italian and French, starting at the young age of 18. Her experience also includes the role of a high school foreign language department head, as well as teaching high school Advanced Placement (AP) French and Spanish until 2005 when she transitioned into her current roles.

While Spanish is the predominant language needed for interpreting and translating, in the last couple of years, Szklarz has noticed an increase in the need for interpreters and translators in Burmese, Nepalese, Swahili, Creole from Haiti, Chinese, and occasionally Farsi, Somalian and Japanese.

One of the benefits of being an interpreter or translator is the "personal satisfaction and gratification you get when you are able to meet the needs of the students and their families," says Fabio Castellanos, an interpreter and translator who also happens to be this reporter's father.

"You can see the appreciation in their eyes during a translation; you can see how grateful they are because they know exactly what is going on and understand how the system works," he explained.

Another benefit from having interpretation and translation services is that students' records can be obtained, including Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) as well as medical records, which provides teachers and parents a better idea of their students' progress and needs.

So what are the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs for 2014 -- besides interpreters and translators? Check out the complete list below.

1. Software developer, applications and systems software

Total employment in 2013: 1,042,402 jobs

Added 104,348 jobs from 2010-2013, up 11 percent

Median hourly earnings: $45.06

2. Market research analyst and marketing specialist

Total employment in 2013: 438,095 jobs

Added 54,979 jobs from 2010-2013, up 14 percent

Median hourly earnings: $29.10

3. Training and development specialist

Total employment in 2013: 231,898 jobs

Added 18,042 jobs from 2010-2013, up 8 percent