This occupation, with a daily wage of 2,000 yuan, is still in short supply in California. The Chinese have the advantage.

California There is a profession where speaking Cantonese (Cantonese) has a big advantage, the daily salary is up to 2,000 yuan, and the demand exceeds the supply, and that is the registered court Cantonese translator. According to industry insiders, no one has passed the registration court Cantonese translation test so far in 2019, but there are still peopleretire The talents in this profession are becoming increasingly scarce, and the daily wage can be as high as 2,000 yuan.

Nathan Huang, who holds both Mandarin and Cantonese interpreting certification licenses in California, said there is currently a very serious imbalance between talent supply and demand in the Cantonese interpreting market in California. She often needs to handle many Cantonese interpreting tasks every day, but still, she often cannot find a qualified Cantonese interpreting partner. For example, in California courts, lengthy court hearings, such as jury trials, require at least two interpreters to alternate. Nathan said he has also encountered situations where a partner could not be found and the client had to pay double to hire him to ensure that the trial or conference could go ahead.

According to the California Judicial Council, the number of certified Cantonese translators is decreasing year by year. From 2019 to October 2026, the number of court Cantonese interpreters decreased from 30 to 21. Since 2019, no new interpreters have passed the certification exam. Zhong Shen, a court-certified translator and owner of a translation company, said that in recent years, the number of translators into other languages ​​has increased every year, but that into Cantonese is declining. Some of the older translators have retired and there are no new ones to take their place. He said that in fact, there are many Cantonese-speaking communities in California, and the market demand is huge. Other certified language translations, such as Persian, have a market price of 1,500 yuan per day.

Christy Wang, a certified Mandarin court translator, said she also runs a translation company. Finding a licensed Cantonese translator is difficult. Some courts even offered 2,000 yuan a day, but they received none. He said that many people assume that CaliforniaSugar Mandarin is widely used, so the demand should be greater than Cantonese. But in fact, the number of Cantonese speakers in California is very large, especially in some traditional Chinese communities, where Cantonese is an important language for daily communication.

In fact, the bar for the California Court Certified Translator exam is relatively high, with a passing rate of only 5%. The examination is divided into written examination and oral examination. The viva exam is only available once a year, so if you miss or fail it, you will have to wait another year.

Regarding whether AI will replace court translation, neither Zhong Shen nor Christie believe that this industry will be replaced by AI. Christie said, “Ordinary translation can be replaced by AI, but court interpretation is a profession that is difficult to be replaced by AI because courts are very particular about accountability. AI can be used as a supporting tool, but the final interpretation quality and legal responsibility still require certified interpreters. For example, on some legal documents, interpreters need to sign to confirm their work, which is the value of professional certification. At court hearings, the interpreter’s name and license number are usually recorded. Zhong Shen said California translators are currently developing a guild to ensure the future rights of this group.

In fact, court certified translators do exist, and their work is by no means limited to the courtroom. Christie believes that court interpreting is a career that can be developed over the long term. It not only brings good income, but it also allows you to contact people from all walks of life like technology, medical care, finance, etc. and expand your horizons and connections. For example, Zhong Shen, who has 20 years of experience in court interpretation, is now a lawyer.

Zhong Shen is one of the first batch of court-certified interpreters in California and has rich and senior experience in the industry. He said he will start conducting training classes from December 12 to help more people understand the industry and enter it.