Document Translator Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Closing date extended from 04 Aug 2026 to 11 Aug 2026.Qualifications:GS-9: To be eligible at the GS-9 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.
Specialized experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level is defined as experience gained in a position designated as a Translator or equivalent that involved knowledge and skill of techniques in the translation of documents from Spanish into English and English into Spanish in the preparation of written material used to further investigations such as: translating material; extracting information and summarizing the information in English and Spanish; Translating Spanish to English using Artificial Intelligence or Computer Assisted Translation Tools.
-OR-
Education: Master's or equivalent degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in Translation, Interpretation, Linguistics, Spanish Language, or a closely related field or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of a Translator.
-OR-
A combination of experience and graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only graduate level education in excess of the first full year can be used in this calculation. To calculate your percentage of graduate education, first determine the total number of graduate level hours that exceed 18 semester hours (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study), then divide the total number of your excess graduate semester hours by 18 (or your school's definition of one year of graduate study). To calculate your percentage of specialized experience, divide the total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.
GS-11: To be eligible at the GS-11 level, you must meet at least ONE of the following conditions, as defined below: Specialized Experience, Education, OR a combination of Education and Experience.
Specialized Experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 level is defined as experience gained in a position designated as a Translator or equivalent that involved knowledge and skill of advanced techniques in the translation of documents from Spanish into English and English into Spanish in adherence to accuracy, completeness, and impartiality in the preparation of written material used to further investigations. Examples of specialized experience include: producing translations that are grammatically correct and which use a wide range of both technical/nontechnical vocabulary; certifying translations to be introduced as evidence in court hearings or trials; transcribing and translating audio and audio/video recordings; translating materials at all levels of difficulty and subject matter; providing summary and sight translations of court documents, text messages etc.; demonstrating knowledge of technical and legal terminology; Translating Spanish to English using Artificial Intelligence or Computer Assisted Translation Tools and preparing transcriptions using transcription software and managing term bases.
-OR-
Education: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in Translation, Interpretation, Linguistics, Spanish Language, or a closely related field or LL.M., if related. Education at the graduate level must be in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of a Translator.
-OR-
A combination of experience and graduate level education can be used if, when combined, are equivalent to 100% of the qualification requirement. Only education in excess of 2 full years is creditable. To calculate your percentage of education, first determine the total number of hours that exceed 36 semester hours by 18 or your school's definition of one year of study. To calculate, your percentage of qualifying experience, divide your total number of months of qualifying experience by 12. Now, add the two percentages together. The sum of the percentages must equal at least 100%.
GS-12: To be eligible at the GS-12 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in Federal Service.
Specialized experience: One full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level is defined as experience gained as a Translator or equivalent that involved expert transcription and translations from live, recorded, and written material without regard to the level of difficulty, subject matter, terminology, dialogue, idioms, colloquialisms, or degrees of inflection from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish. Examples of specialized experience may include: serving as an advanced source of information to an office staff regarding the Spanish language at all levels of complexity; providing high-quality transcription and translation; applying advanced research methods to acquire rapid familiarity with complex and highly sensitive requests; resolving the application of new terms or language peculiarities which may not be available in language dictionaries; translating complex technical and nontechnical documents in a variety of styles and advanced skill; testifying in federal court when challenges are presented to the certified transcription or translation presented as evidence; and providing interpretations needed in criminal and civil matters; Translating Spanish to English using Artificial Intelligence or Computer Assisted Translation Tools and preparing transcription using transcription software; managing term bases; and creating and updating translation memories.
Selective Placement Factor: A selective placement factor is determined to be essential for successful performance in this position. Those candidates who do not meet the following selective placement factor will be rated "not qualified" for the position.
Incumbent must possess professional competence in the English and Spanish languages and be certified by the American Translators Association (ATA). You must include a copy of your certification with your application package, or you will be disqualified from consideration.Education:All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criteria, see http://www.ed.gov
OR
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above education requirements if you can show that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. It is your responsibility to timely provide such evidence by submitting proof of creditability of education as evaluated by a credentialing agency with your application materials. More information may be found at http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html. All documentation must be in English or include an English translation.
Employment Type: OTHER