Public service and conference interpreters, represented in many countries by associations and labor collectives, have for years voiced their concerns surrounding working conditions in different ways, from a rant on social media to class action lawsuits.

Labor actions documented by the media include protests, walkouts, and even hunger strikes in an attempt to exert pressure on local or national government institutions, and in some cases collective legal action against some language service providers (LSPs). 

Slator analyzed a sample of 18 collective interpreter labor actions from January 2020 to the time of publication of this article in August 2024 to identify recurrent themes.

The table below is only a representative sample of labor actions taken at a given time (results of the action are listed when known).

Based on this sample, the following are the top three recurrent themes in collective interpreter labor action:

• Low or stagnant wages: This is the most frequently cited reason for labor action. Based on this sample, court interpreters are most likely to take action, and are also the most successful at a local level in getting their demands met, at least partially.
• Unsatisfactory working conditions: This factor comes in second after wages, and includes concerns voiced by interpreters about remote working conditions, unequal treatment compared to other professionals in the same settings, and differences in working arrangements for contractors vs employees/staff interpreters. These are the demands that are the slowest to get attention and decisive action from decision makers.
• Hiring of less-qualified/unaccredited interpreters: Interpreters in several countries have also voiced their concerns against the hiring of less-qualified interpreters, often through contracts granted to LSPs, which they see as undermining the profession and potentially compromising the quality of interpreting services. This appears to be the top concern getting the least attention from decision makers.

As waves of migration continue, the need for interpreters is clear. Whether interpreting will be an attractive career path in the next few years, not so much. The issue is muddled not just by what interpreters might consider fair wages and working conditions locally, but also by multiple macro-level factors globally, including increased use of AI speech-to-speech translation technology.