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AI exposure Arts, design, entertainment, sports and media

Will AI replace interpreters and translators?

Interpreters and Translators. US occupation 27-3091.

43.0%

of the time interpreters and translators spend on their work goes on tasks where AI is already being used to do that work.of interpreters and translators' working hours go on tasks AI has already started taking off their plate.

Ranked 28 of 756 US occupations. More exposed than 96% of them.Further along than 96% of them.

Average US job 7.7%

One of the most exposed jobs in the country.Front of the queue for an AI assistant.

What AI already does for interpreters and translatorsWhat interpreters and translators no longer do alone

O*NET lists 17 tasks for interpreters and translators. AI use at work shows up in 4 of them. Each score runs from 0.5, where every observed use helps a person with the task, to 1, where every use does the task outright.

  1. Adapt translations to students' cognitive and grade levels, collaborating with educational team members as necessary. mostly automated 0.97
  2. Read written materials, such as legal documents, scientific works, or news reports, and rewrite material into specified languages. mostly automated 0.89
  3. Translate messages simultaneously or consecutively into specified languages, orally or by using hand signs, maintaining message content, context, and style as much as possible.Core task automated and assisted 0.78
  4. Proofread, edit, and revise translated materials. automated and assisted 0.78

What it does not touch, yetWhat still needs a human

13 of the 17 tasks show no AI use at work in the data.

  • Check translations of technical terms and terminology to ensure that they are accurate and remain consistent throughout translation revisions.Core task
  • Compile information on content and context of information to be translated and on intended audience.Core task
  • Compile terminology and information to be used in translations, including technical terms such as those for legal or medical material.Core task
  • Follow ethical codes that protect the confidentiality of information.Core task
  • Identify and resolve conflicts related to the meanings of words, concepts, practices, or behaviors.Core task
  • Listen to speakers' statements to determine meanings and to prepare translations, using electronic listening systems as necessary.Core task
Show the other 7
  • Refer to reference materials, such as dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and computerized terminology banks, as needed to ensure translation accuracy.Core task
  • Adapt software and accompanying technical documents to another language and culture.
  • Check original texts or confer with authors to ensure that translations retain the content, meaning, and feeling of the original material.
  • Discuss translation requirements with clients and determine any fees to be charged for services provided.
  • Educate students, parents, staff, and teachers about the roles and functions of educational interpreters.
  • Train and supervise other translators or interpreters.
  • Travel with or guide tourists who speak another language.

How that compares

Among the 34 arts, design, entertainment, sports and media occupations, interpreters and translators rank 3. The group averages 14.2%, and its most exposed job is Technical Writers at 47.5%. The average US occupation sits at 7.7%.

All 756 occupations, ranked

Just above in the ranking

  1. 25Receptionists and Information Clerks 43.4%
  2. 26Survey Researchers 43.2%
  3. 27Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary 43.1%

Just below

  1. 29Operations Research Analysts 42.9%
  2. 30Mathematicians 42.4%
  3. 31Curators 41.2%

What this does and does not mean

Exposure is observed use, not a forecast. Anthropic maps work conversations with Claude onto the tasks O*NET lists for each job and asks, of the tasks AI could speed up, which are actually being used for at work. A use that does the task outright counts in full and a use that assists a person counts half. The task scores are averaged into the occupation figure by the share of time spent on each task.

A high figure means AI is already part of how this work gets done. It does not mean anyone has been replaced. Anthropic's own reading of the labour market finds no systematic rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting exposed jobs.No measurable rise in unemployment among exposed workers so far, and about 14% fewer 22 to 25 year olds starting these jobs. Gap years for everyone. Labor market impacts, 5 March 2026.

Task list and titles from O*NET 31.0 by the US Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Scores from the Anthropic Economic Index (CC BY). Checked 1 November 2026. How the ranking works.