Career change as an interpreter

Career change paths

• Copy editor (Lektor)

  Also: Editor

  With on-the-job training

  In the editorial department of a publisher or an agency, you work on manuscripts and translations; as an editor, you write and edit content.

  What you bring:

  You read texts very closely, find mistakes and inconsistencies and know the style and tone of different text types.

  How to get there:

  Publishers, agencies and companies take on language professionals through a traineeship (Volontariat), freelance work or on-the-job training. Work samples are decisive.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €4,237gross per monthMedian salary

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• Content manager for international markets

  Also: Online marketing specialist

  With on-the-job training

  In international marketing, you look after websites, campaigns and social media for foreign markets and manage agencies and translators.

  What you bring:

  You know languages, cultures and target groups in several countries and can adapt texts, not just translate them.

  How to get there:

  Export-oriented companies and agencies train language specialists in marketing tools, search engine optimization and web analytics. Various providers offer courses on these, and the length depends on the provider. You can put your language skills to direct use here.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €5,385gross per monthMedian salary

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• Localization tester

  Also: Language data reviewer

  With on-the-job training

  As a localization tester, you check translated software, apps and games; as a language data reviewer, you evaluate the output of AI systems and translation programs.

  What you bring:

  You spot language errors, wrong terms and unsuitable wording immediately, including in software and games.

  How to get there:

  Software companies, game studios and localization service providers train language specialists in test tools and bug databases. A software testing certificate helps, and the course length depends on the provider. Some assignments are project-based, so ask about permanent positions.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible
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• Officer for international cooperation

  Also: International relations staff member

  With on-the-job training

  As an international cooperation officer, you manage partnerships, delegations and projects at municipalities, universities, chambers or associations.

  What you bring:

  You move confidently between languages and cultures and know the subtleties of international communication.

  How to get there:

  Universities, chambers and administrations hire language specialists with a university degree and train them in project and funding management. Experience with EU programs or project applications helps you get in.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with peopleIn an office
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• Relocation consultant

  Also: Relocation specialist

  With on-the-job training

  As a relocation consultant, you support international professionals and their families with house hunting, dealing with authorities, choosing schools and settling in.

  What you bring:

  You can bridge languages and cultures and know the hurdles that people from abroad face.

  How to get there:

  Relocation service providers and large employers train language specialists in procedures, the housing market and official channels. For the work on site, you need good local knowledge, often also a driving license and flexible working hours.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €4,238gross per monthMedian salary

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• German as a foreign language teacher

  Also: Integration course teacher

  With further training

  As a teacher of German as a foreign language, you teach adults at language schools, in integration courses or in vocational language courses.

  What you bring:

  You know grammar, language comparison and language learning from your studies and work and can explain linguistic subtleties.

  How to get there:

  For integration courses you need approval from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge). With a degree in translation or interpreting, it also requires the additional qualification in German as a second language (Zusatzqualifizierung Deutsch als Zweitsprache) of 140 teaching units or an equivalent recognized certificate. Teachers also work on a freelance basis, and some providers hire permanently.*Regulated by law (Integration Course Ordinance (IntV) § 15 (1)).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLots of contact with people

  €3,890gross per monthMedian salary

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• Technical writer

  Also: Specialist author

  With further training

  As a technical writer, you create instructions, manuals and online help and make sure they can be translated well.

  What you bring:

  You express yourself precisely, work with terminology and translation tools and know technical language.

  How to get there:

  Various providers offer a certificate course in technical writing alongside work, for example to the standard of the professional association tekom, and the length depends on the provider. Translators have an advantage there because they already know terminology and translation processes.*

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically lightLittle customer contactIn an officeHome office possible

  €4,728gross per monthMedian salary

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• English teacher

  Also: Foreign language teacher at secondary level

  With a degree

  At a secondary school, you teach your languages and prepare students for exams.

  What you bring:

  You master at least two languages at a high level and know grammar, regional and cultural studies and language teaching methods.

  How to get there:

  Each federal state sets its own rules for the alternative route into teaching (Seiteneinstieg), including whether a translation degree is recognized as a subject degree for a foreign language. In North Rhine-Westphalia, for example, it is only possible for positions for which no fully trained teachers are available, your degree must match two teaching subjects, and the preparatory service (Vorbereitungsdienst) alongside work takes 24 months.*Regulated by law (State law: teacher education acts and alternative-route regulations of the German states).

  * No guarantee of accuracy.

  Mostly no weekendsFixed daytime hoursPhysically light

  €5,466gross per monthMedian salary

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Salary: median of all full-time employees in the job, gross per month excluding special payments, as of April 2025. Half earn more, half earn less. Source: Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), table 62361-0030, license dl-de/by-2-0. Assigned to the jobs by quereinsteiger.de. No guarantee of accuracy.