When Rich Lopez started interpreting for people eight years ago, he said he used about eight percent of his time to go into local business offices and courthouses to assist clients who knew little to no English.

These days, Lopez said more than half of his time is spent interpreting for people throughout the region. His bilingual ability appears professionally promising, as data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor statistics shows interpreters like Lopez will be either busier or greater in number by 2022 as a result of “increasing globalization and a more diverse U.S. population.”

According to the bureau’s data, 63,600 jobs were available nationally for interpreters or translators in 2012. Most interpreters – 30 percent – were employed in professional, scientific and technical service fields, while 25 percent worked in educational services or state, local and private jobs. A total of 13 percent worked in healthcare and social assistance, according to the bureau. More.

See: Dothan Eagle

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