On 7 January 2025, LinkedIn News UK released its "Job trends 2025: The 25 fastest-growing jobs in the UK", and the interpreters find themselves at #22. LinkedIn calls this "Jobs on the Rise" - positions that it considers to be pointers of areas of career opportunity based on data collected over the past three years.In the list, it names both spoken and sign language interpreters and states the skills typical for a professional in the field as: interpreting, translation, and consecutive interpretation. The professionals are thus mainly in demand in translation and localization, museums, historical sites, zoos, and interestingly enough, transportation equipment manufacturing.
The LinkedIn data points to London, Manchester, and Glasgow as the top UK locations where the hiring of interpreters is taking place. The average experience required is 2.2 years, while most interpreters work remotely at 73%, or in a hybrid position at 8%. The rest is assumed to work on-site; however, the figure is not included in this list.
Most interpreters in the UK and other countries work as public service interpreters, with a minority working as conference interpreters. Public service interpreters work at public institutions, such as the National Health Service (NHS), the Courts and Tribunals System, and Border Force and Immigration Enforcement.
Interpreting is one of the UK government's regulated professions. "Interpreter" is included in the government list under "Chartered Linguist," which is a general term for various professions related to languages recognized by the bodies that subscribe to the standards of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), such as the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
Contrast to the upbeat LinkedIn ranking of interpreting as an area of opportunity is the at times contentious environment in the UK's public service interpreting sector, especially over the past two years. In that time frame, for instance, the NRPSI has sent multiple official communications to the Ministry of Justice regarding its policies as interpreters continue to protest work conditions and pay schedules in several cities.
Slator has also covered the development of UK public services interpreting over the same period in several articles, such as the review of court interpreter qualifications, new credentials, legal probes into current contracts and future tenders, who pays for interpreter services, and discussions on the use of Al or lack thereof during government sessions.
Interpreting is one of the UK government's regulated professions. "Interpreter" is included in the government list under "Chartered Linguist," which is a general term for various professions related to languages recognized by the bodies that subscribe to the standards of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), such as the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
Contrast to the upbeat LinkedIn ranking of interpreting as an area of opportunity is the at times contentious environment in the UK's public service interpreting sector, especially over the past two years. In that time frame, for instance, the NRPSI has sent multiple official communications to the Ministry of Justice regarding its policies as interpreters continue to protest work conditions and pay schedules in several cities.
Slator has also covered the development of UK public services interpreting over the same period in several articles, such as the review of court interpreter qualifications, new credentials, legal probes into current contracts and future tenders, who pays for interpreter services, and discussions on the use of Al or lack thereof during government sessions.
