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Fbi Interpreter Jobs (NOW HIRING)

ASL Interpreter

Akron, OH · On-site

$29K - $29K/yr

The interpreter facilitates full access to classroom instruction, school activities, and ... Must pass both an FBI fingerprint-based background check and a state-level criminal background ...

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$64K

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How much do fbi interpreter jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for fbi interpreter in the United States is $64,020.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $50,000.00 and $69,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an FBI interpreter?

FBI Interpreters are language specialists who assist the Federal Bureau of Investigation by translating written documents and interpreting spoken communication in foreign languages. They play a critical role in investigations, counterintelligence, and national security by ensuring accurate communication between FBI agents and individuals who speak other languages. FBI Interpreters may work on cases involving terrorism, organized crime, cyber threats, and more. Their expertise helps bridge language barriers and supports the FBI’s mission to protect the United States.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an FBI interpreter?

To thrive as an FBI Interpreter, you need advanced proficiency in at least one foreign language, a deep understanding of cultural nuances, and often a bachelor's degree in linguistics or a related field. Familiarity with translation software, secure communication systems, and, in some cases, security clearance processes is typically required. Excellent attention to detail, discretion, and strong interpersonal skills help interpreters accurately convey information and build trust. These skills are critical for ensuring accurate, confidential communication that supports effective investigations and national security.

What are some common challenges FBI interpreters face when working on high-stakes investigations?

FBI Interpreters often work under tight deadlines and high-pressure situations, especially when translating sensitive or classified materials for ongoing investigations. A major challenge is ensuring complete accuracy and cultural nuance in translations, as even small errors can impact the outcome of a case. Interpreters must also maintain strict confidentiality and sometimes work long or irregular hours to accommodate urgent operational needs. Collaboration with special agents and analysts is frequent, requiring strong communication and adaptability skills.

What is the difference between Fbi Interpreter vs Fbi Translator?

AspectFbi InterpreterFbi Translator
CredentialsLanguage proficiency, security clearance, often bilingual certificationLanguage proficiency, security clearance, often bilingual certification
Work EnvironmentReal-time interpretation in interviews, meetings, courtroomsDocument translation, report writing, and localization tasks
Employer & Industry UsageFBI, government agencies, law enforcementFBI, government agencies, law enforcement
Common Search & ComparisonFbi Interpreter vs Fbi Translator

Both Fbi Interpreters and Fbi Translators require language proficiency and security clearance. Interpreters focus on real-time spoken communication, while translators work on written documents. They serve similar agencies but differ in their daily tasks and work environment.

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What states have the most Fbi Interpreter jobs?

States with the most job openings for Fbi Interpreter jobs include:

What are popular job titles related to Fbi Interpreter jobs?

For Fbi Interpreter jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Fbi Interpreter job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 2% As Needed, 70% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $64,020 per year, or $30.8 per hour.

LANGUAGE SPECIALIST-1040, GS 7/9, CHARLOTTE FIELD OFFFICE-GREENSBORO RESIDENT AGENCY (FBI ONLY)

Greensboro, NC • On-site

$61K - $80K/yr

Full-time

Posted 9 days ago


Federal Bureau of Investigation rating

7.5

Company rating: 7.5 out of 10

Based on 17 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Job Opening: 67455
Opening Date: 9/2/26
Closing Date: 9/15/26 at 11:59 p.m. (ET)
Job Title Language Specialist GS 7/9 Full Performance Level GS-13 Division Charlotte Field Office Location Greensboro, NC Working Hours Hours may vary depending on division needs Job Type Full Time/Permanent Who May Apply Current, permanent FBI employees Number of Positions Available 1 Questions Email: HR Specialist Britton at rbritton@fbi.gov Salary GS-7: $50,460.00--$65,599.00
GS-9: $61,722.00--$80,243.00
Required Language: Spanish
Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.
JOB SUMMARY
This position provides translations and interpretation services from a specific assigned foreign language into English. The incumbent provides verbatim translations and/or summaries from written and recorded materials. The incumbent also provides translations from English into the assigned foreign language. The translation and interpretation duties supplement the administrative, intelligence, and investigation operations of the FBI by rendering into English from a foreign language to the speech and/or writing of non-English speaking aliens and citizens.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
  • Must be a current, permanent FBI employee
  • Must have successfully passed the FBI's Foreign Language Test Battery for the required language
  • Must be able to obtain an SCI clearance
  • Some travel may be required
  • Selectee will be required to complete form FD-887, Request for Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)
  • Selectee will be required to complete the FD-918 Worldwide Mobility Agreement
  • Selectee will be required to complete a Security Financial Disclosure Form
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Work is primarily sedentary; however, some physical exertion and stress due to prolonged periods of concentration may be experienced.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Work is primarily performed at secure Government facilities but may require the incumbent to operate outside of FBI workspace at other pre-approved locations. Dependent upon organizational needs, work may be performed at various offsite locations, and/or required to travel outside of the AOR.
MAJOR DUTIES
GS-7:
  • Perform literary research in language assigned to gain understanding of specialized vocabulary.
  • Translate routine correspondence and inquiries from assigned foreign language to English and vice versa.
GS-9:
  • Translate verbatim and summarize a variety of recorded and written materials from assigned foreign language into English and vice versa.
  • Perform literary review of written translations from assigned foreign language for grammatical accuracy.
QUALIFICATIONS & EVALUATIONS
Please ensure that your specialized experience and requirements are clearly identifiable in your resume. Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
If you are found minimally qualified, your application will move forward to additional phases of the review process.
The competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.
Competencies
  • Analytical Thinking
  • Communication
  • Flexibility/Adaptability
  • Initiative
  • Interpersonal Ability
FBI's Foreign Language Test Battery: In additional to the required specialized experience and education, listed below, an applicant's Foreign Language Test Battery results will be considered when determining the qualifying GS level.
  • Core - Eligible at the GS 7/9/11 levels
  • Core +1 - Eligible at the GS 7/9/11/12 levels
  • Core +2 - Eligible at the GS 7/9/11/12 levels
SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR
In order to be considered for this position, applicants must have the following selective placement factor:
  • Must speak Spanish
In addition to selective placement factor, please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume.
Specialized Experience (SE): Grade level will be determined based on language experience, education, or a combination of the two. Qualifying specialized experience for all grade levels consists of any bilingual work experience such as: translating, teaching, interpreting, editing manuscripts; or professional-level day-to-day bilingual experience on both a paid and/or voluntary basis. Specialized experience that is not full-time in nature (40 hours per week/52 weeks per year) will be prorated on an hourly basis based on a 2,087 hour work year.
When listing experiences please include the following: employer's name/company, your position title, dates of employment, and the amount of hours worked per week using your language skills in that job. Please see the example provided below:
Name of employer: Home Improvement Store Inc.
Position Title: Customer Service representative and cashier
Dates of employment: January 2015 - October 2020
Hours worked using language per week: 40 hours/week, used ( specific language) 20 hours/week
Description of duties/experience: Used ( specific language ) to help customers understand store policies verbally and in writing. Translated store service agreements and descriptions of inventory from English to ( specific language ) and vice versa.
GS-7: Applicant must possess at least four (4) years of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level and a passing language proficiency test score in combination with a high school diploma, or its equivalent. SE is defined as follows:
  • Translate routine conversations and analyze data for relevance.
  • Apply research methods and analytical skills to perform document edits.
GS-9: Applicants must possess at leastfive (5) years of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level and passing language proficiency test scores. SE is defined as follows:
  • Translate and interpret orally and in writing to communicate effectively in English and the foreign language assigned to employee.
  • Correct grammar, punctuation, syntax, and spelling for grammatically correct, fluent and more precise translations.
Education
All degrees must be from an accredited college or university. Education may be substituted for specialized experience as follows:
GS-7: The completion of a bachelor's degree (or its academic equivalent from a college or university with regional or national institutional accreditation) in any discipline will count as four (4) years credit.
GS-9: The completion of a master's degree or Juris Doctorate (or its academic equivalent from a college or university with regional or national institutional accreditation) in any discipline will count as five (5) years credit.
Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.
HOW TO APPLY
For detailed instructions related to applying, uploading documents, withdrawing an application or updating your application, please review instructions on How to Apply. If applying online is a hardship, please use the contact information listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.
REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
To apply to this position, interested applicants must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:
  1. Utilizing the Resume Builder, outline your relevant work experience and associated start and end dates. Uploaded resumes will not be reviewed or used for qualification purposes.
  2. Other supporting documents (if applicable):
    • College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
    • Memorandum for Record (MFR): Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on a SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation:
      • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties)
      • The month/year work began
        Frequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
      • Specific duties performed
Attach the Memorandum for Record to your application in the "Cover Letters and Attachments" section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type "Other."
While applicants might see these documents in their profile, HR Specialists may be unable to access them. Therefore, all applicants MUST upload another copy to ensure that staffing units can review the complete application.
Please note: Failure to provide the necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Incomplete applications will not be supplemented with additional requests for information; your application will be evaluated solely on the information you submit. You must complete the application process and submit all required documents by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the announcement's closing date.
WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
  • Positions with fitness for duty requirements or those that require international travel may require proof of certain vaccinations.
  • Management may select at any grade for which this position has been announced.
  • Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
  • Limited Movement: Policy has been implemented wherein support employees entering a position may be precluded from moving to another position within the Bureau through reassignment or change to a lower grade for a minimum of 12 months. HRD will waive this limited movement policy for qualified employees, who have received an official notification letter that their current position is being relocated due to an organizational restructuring initiative, so those employees can compete for a position elsewhere. Voluntarily leaving a position with a relocation incentive may result in loss of that incentive. Please notate that you have received an official notification letter within your application.
  • Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
  • Candidates will not be considered if currently on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP); a Letter of Requirement (LOR); or have failed a PIP or LOR and are currently awaiting the final action by HRD.
a) Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is a 90-day written developmental plan for an employee whose performance on one or more critical elements is rated "Unacceptable."
b) A Letter of Requirement (LOR) is issued when a supervisor identifies leave abuse and/or when frequent absences negatively impact operations of an office.
  • Relocation expenses will be borne by the selectee, except FBI employees returning from LEGAT assignment. Employees returning from LEGAT assignments must advise the Staffing and Administrative Unit / International Operations Division of their application for this position.
  • Current tax law may impact your transfer by making some of your moving expense reimbursements taxable. Please contact 304-625-9337 (304-625-XFER) for information regarding taxable expenses.
  • Employees selected for promotions at the GS 12 level or higher, selected for a supervisory position at any grade level, or selected for positions where a transfer of location is required, will be processed through the name check program prior to being notified of their selection.
Nepotism
Nepotism is the act of favoring relatives in the hiring process and is prohibited by law. Public officials are prohibited from hiring or promoting relatives or relatives of officials in their chain of command, as well as actively or indirectly endorse a relative's appointment or promotion. During the hiring process, all selected candidates and FBI hiring managers will be required to c

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