Will AI replace translators? Live data
Translators have very high measured AI exposure: Claude usage data covers about 43% of the tasks in this job that AI could in theory speed up. UK adverts are +4.9% year on year, and US postings in Indeed's Media & Communications category are -9.3%. Our ledger has no AI-attributed layoff events linked to this role yet.
How exposed is this job to AI?
The score is Anthropic's observed exposure for US occupation Interpreters and Translators (SOC 27-3091). It takes the tasks that a language model could theoretically speed up and measures how many are actually showing up in real work-related Claude usage, with fully automated use counting more than assistance.
Dashed line = top third. This occupation is in the top third (used in our ledger rubric, grade B). Ranked #28 of 756.
What the job involves
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into another.
O*NET 31.0 description for Interpreters and Translators. 17 of 17 tasks have a task-level score.
Tasks where AI use is most visible
- Adapt translations to students' cognitive and grade levels, collaborating with educational team members as necessary. 97% coverage
- Read written materials, such as legal documents, scientific works, or news reports, and rewrite material into specified languages. 89% coverage
- Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible. 78% coverage
- Proofread, edit, and revise translated materials. 78% coverage
Core tasks with no observed AI use
- Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.
- Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.
- Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.
- Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.
- Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.
UK hiring: online job adverts
Monthly new online job adverts for UK SOC 2020 3412 Authors, writers and translators. Year-on-year change compares the last six months with the same months a year earlier, using only months published in both years.
Source: ONS, Online job advert estimates (Textkernel), published 22 October 2026, OGL v3.0. Gaps are suppressed cells. Official statistics in development: Oct 2025-Feb 2026 and Jun-Sep 2026 partly imputed; March 2026 suppressed; Textkernel taxonomy updates cause step changes, so compare recent years with care.
Live postings: UK and US (Indeed)
Indeed's Media & Communications category index (covers more than this occupation).
Source: Indeed Hiring Lab job postings by sector, seasonally adjusted, 7-day average, to 16 Oct 2026. CC BY 4.0.
AI-attributed layoffs affecting related roles
None yet. That is not evidence of no impact - most job change happens through slower hiring, not announced layoffs.
Links between events and occupations are our editorial mapping, not company-stated.
What to do if you're one of the translators
- Lean into the work AI isn't doing. In the usage data, core tasks such as "Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information" show no observed AI use. Building depth there is the most defensible part of the role.
- Get fluent with AI on the tasks it's already touching. The highest-coverage task here is "Adapt translations to students' cognitive and grade levels, collaborating with educational team members as necessary". People who can check, direct and sign off AI output on tasks like this are likely to be more valuable than those competing with it.
- Watch hiring, not headlines. UK adverts for this role are up on a year ago. all UK adverts are -3.4% on the same basis (dashboard). A fall that matches the whole market is a cycle, not an AI story.
- Check the claims. When a company says AI replaced jobs, look at its grade in our ledger - many announcements are mixed or AI-washed.
Data mapping for this page
| US occupation (exposure, tasks) | 27-3091 Interpreters and Translators |
|---|---|
| UK SOC 2020 (ONS adverts) | 3412 Authors, writers and translators |
| Indeed category | Media & Communications |
| Mapping confidence | low UK SOC 2020 puts translators in 3412 with authors and writers, so UK adverts are shared with the copywriters page and are a broad proxy. |
The US SOC → UK SOC 2020 crosswalk is a documented best-effort editorial mapping; see methodology.
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