Best Interpreter programs in Washington, ranked by enrollment
Interpret oral or sign language, or translate written text from one language into.
19 schools in Washington run programs that feed this job, graduating 440 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,750 in Washington across about 1,250 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Washington that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
20 programs in Washington that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Washington (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Washington page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 16.9999In Washington → | 108 | 24.5% | 5 | $34,944 | $24,828 |
| 2 | Linguisticsmain feeder CIP 16.0102In Washington → | 86 | 19.5% | 3 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 3 | Spanish Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0905In Washington → | 81 | 18.4% | 9 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 4 | Japanese Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0302In Washington → | 49 | 11.1% | 6 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 5 | French Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0901In Washington → | 28 | 6.4% | 9 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 6 | CIP 16.0908In Washington → | 20 | 4.5% | 3 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 7 | CIP 16.1200In Washington → | 14 | 3.2% | 3 | — | $22,560 |
| 8 | Chinese Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0301In Washington → | 12 | 2.7% | 5 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 9 | CIP 16.0300In Washington → | 10 | 2.3% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 10 | German Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0501In Washington → | 6 | 1.4% | 2 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 11 | Korean Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0303In Washington → | 5 | 1.1% | 1 | $27,331 | $20,685 |
| 12 | Sign Language Interpretation and Translationmain feeder CIP 16.1603In Washington → | 4 | 0.9% | 2 | $32,695 | $25,209 |
| 13 | Russian Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0402In Washington → | 3 | 0.7% | 2 | $60,240 | $5,500 |
| 14 | CIP 16.0500In Washington → | 3 | 0.7% | 1 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 15 | CIP 16.1199In Washington → | 3 | 0.7% | 1 | $48,355 | $15,526 |
| 16 | Foreign Languages and Literatures, Generalmain feeder CIP 16.0101In Washington → | 2 | 0.5% | 1 | $27,449 | $20,824 |
| 17 | CIP 16.0400In Washington → | 2 | 0.5% | 1 | $60,240 | $5,500 |
| 18 | CIP 16.0502In Washington → | 2 | 0.5% | 1 | $44,390 | $23,202 |
| 19 | Italian Language and Literaturemain feeder CIP 16.0902In Washington → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | $34,541 | $22,748 |
| 20 | CIP 16.1202In Washington → | 1 | 0.2% | 1 | — | $22,560 |
Top 19 schools in Washington
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 8 of the 19 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 15 feeder programs | 170 | Linguistics | — | 85% | — | 39% |
| 2 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA Public · 7 feeder programs | 71 | Linguistics | $24,232 | 65% | — | 93% |
| 3 | Yakima Valley College Yakima, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 46 | Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | — | 29% | — | — |
| 4 | Columbia Basin College Pasco, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | — | 33% | — | — |
| 5 | Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 3 feeder programs | 21 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 60% | — | 87% |
| 6 | Whitman College Walla Walla, WA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 19 | Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | — | 81% | $28,508 | 38% |
| 7 | Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA Public · 5 feeder programs | 15 | Spanish Language and Literature | — | 54% | — | 91% |
| 8 | Everett Community College Everett, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | — | 37% | — | — |
| 9 | University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 13 | Spanish Language and Literature | $25,035 | 68% | $35,057 | 72% |
| 10 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Spanish Language and Literature | $27,427 | 43% | — | 91% |
| 11 | Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | $24,773 | 69% | $19,944 | 78% |
| 12 | Gonzaga University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 8 | Spanish Language and Literature | $29,859 | 86% | $30,006 | 82% |
| 13 | Seattle University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 6 | Spanish Language and Literature | $28,082 | 76% | $31,900 | 77% |
| 14 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General | $34,572 | 63% | — | 83% |
| 15 | Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Linguistics | — | 62% | $24,653 | 83% |
| 16 | Spokane Falls Community College Spokane, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sign Language Interpretation and Translation | — | 32% | — | — |
| 17 | Bellevue College Bellevue, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other | — | 36% | — | — |
| 18 | Walla Walla University College Place, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Spanish Language and Literature | $52,532 | 60% | $22,260 | — |
| 19 | Whitworth University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | French Language and Literature | — | 71% | $23,510 | 90% |
All 19 schools in Washington
Every school in Washington with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle | Public | 170 | 15 |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham | Public | 71 | 7 |
| Yakima Valley College | Yakima | Public | 46 | 1 |
| Columbia Basin College | Pasco | Public | 21 | 1 |
| Washington State University | Pullman | Public | 21 | 3 |
| Whitman College | Walla Walla | Private not-for-profit | 19 | 6 |
| Central Washington University | Ellensburg | Public | 15 | 5 |
| Everett Community College | Everett | Public | 14 | 1 |
| University of Puget Sound | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 4 |
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 2 |
| Gonzaga University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 4 |
| Seattle University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 2 |
| University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma | Public | 4 | 1 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
What interpreters and translators earn in Washington
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $60,170. Washington pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Washington
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Interpreters and Translators page.
How to become a Interpreter
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Washington
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Interpreters and Translators17 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 05.0211Deaf Studies
- 13.1003Education/Teaching of Individuals with Hearing Impairments Including Deafness
- 16.0101Foreign Languages and Literatures, General
- 16.0102Linguistics
- 16.0103Language Interpretation and Translation
- 16.0105Applied Linguistics
- 16.0201African Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics
- 16.0300East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
- 16.0301Chinese Language and Literature
- 16.0302Japanese Language and Literature
- 16.0303Korean Language and Literature
- 16.0304Tibetan Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0399East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
- 16.0400Slavic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
- 16.0401Baltic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics(no graduates reported)
- 16.0402Russian Language and Literature
- 16.0404Albanian Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0405Bulgarian Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0406Czech Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0407Polish Language and Literature
- 16.0408Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian Languages and Literatures(no graduates reported)
- 16.0409Slovak Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0410Ukrainian Language and Literature(no graduates reported)
- 16.0499Slavic, Baltic, and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other
- 16.0500Germanic Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, General
Common questions
Answers for people weighing interpreters and translators programs in Washington.
What degree do you need to become an Interpreter?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other, which awarded 108 degrees in Washington in 2024-25, 24.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Interpreter?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 20 programs to this occupation. The largest are Romance Languages, Foreign Languages, Linguistic, East Asian Languages, plus 5 more. Together they graduate about 440 people a year in Washington.
How much do interpreters and translators earn in Washington?+
The median is $61,750 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 2.6% above the U.S. median of $60,170. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for interpreters and translators growing?+
BLS projects a +1.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 6,900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Washington?+
19 institutions in Washington reported graduates from at least one of the 20 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do interpreters and translators work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Translator, Interpreter, Medical Interpreter, Sign Language Interpreter among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3091.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card