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How much does a translator or interpreter earn in Sweden?

Translators, interpreters and other linguists. 3,000 people employed in Sweden.

39,600SEK

per month is the median salary for a translator or interpreter in Sweden in 2025. That is 3% higher than the median across all jobs in the country, 38,300 SEK.

≈ €3,500 / $4,100 at September 2026 exchange rates, before tax.

That is roughly 31,508 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

In the 2025 salary statistics, a translator or interpreter earned 40,600 SEK a month on average in Sweden. The median salary is 39,600 SEK. The lowest-paid 10% earn under 29,500 SEK and the highest-paid 10% over 52,000 SEK.

Figures are gross monthly salary before tax, converted to full time. Income tax in Sweden is roughly 30–34% for most earners, plus a national surtax on income above about 51,000 SEK a month.

Average pay
40,600 SEK
Mean gross monthly salary
Lowest 10%
29,500 SEK
Earn less than this
Highest 10%
52,000 SEK
Earn more than this
People employed
3,000
Statistics Sweden's occupational register 2024

The pay range

How monthly salaries are distributed among translators, interpreters and other linguists in Sweden. The same scale is used in the tables further down.

29,500 SEKLowest 10%39,600 SEKMedian52,000 SEKHighest 10%
Light band: the middle 80 per cent. Dark band: the middle half, earning 35,200–45,600 SEK. The red line is the median salary across all jobs in Sweden.

Pay in the private and public sector

What translators, interpreters and other linguists earn depends a great deal on who the employer is.

Monthly salary by sector and gender
Sector Average pay Median pay Men Women
All sectors 40,600 SEK 39,600 SEK 38,500 SEK 40,500 SEK
Private sector 40,700 SEK 39,700 SEK 36,900 SEK 41,100 SEK
Public sector 40,400 SEK 39,600 SEK 44,200 SEK 38,400 SEK
Central government 46,200 SEK 45,700 SEK 45,900 SEK 45,600 SEK
Municipalities 36,600 SEK 36,500 SEK – 36,700 SEK
Regions (health care) 35,800 SEK 35,600 SEK 35,300 SEK 35,700 SEK

Salary after tax

What translators, interpreters and other linguists actually take home depends on which municipality they live in. Between the cheapest and the most expensive one the difference is several hundred kronor a month.

That is roughly 31,508 SEK after tax in an average municipality, without the church fee.

  • The youngest in the job, aged 25–34 years, earn 35,900 SEK before tax — roughly 28,717 SEK after.
  • The best paid 10% earn more than 52,000 SEK, which is roughly 39,877 SEK after tax.

Calculate the salary after tax for a translator or interpreter

The figures assume an average municipality, no church fee and an age under 66. The calculator takes your own municipality into account.

And if the job goes? Work out unemployment benefit for a translator or interpreter

Pay for men and women

Median salary for men and women
Gender 30,000 50,000 Median pay Number
Men 38,500 SEK 990
Women 40,500 SEK 2,000

Women's average salary is 102% of men's average salary in this job.

Statistics Sweden calculates the ratio on average monthly salary, while the table above shows median salaries, so the two do not line up exactly. The figure is also unadjusted: it does not account for differences in age, sector or position.

Pay by age

Pay for translators, interpreters and other linguists normally rises with years in the job.

Monthly salary by age
Age 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
25–34 years 35,900 SEK – – –
35–44 years 40,500 SEK – 40,400 SEK –
45–54 years 41,800 SEK – 43,000 SEK –
55–64 years 41,800 SEK – 41,000 SEK –

Pay by level of education

Monthly salary by level of education
Level of education 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Upper secondary education 3 years (ISCED97 3A) 37,200 SEK – – –
Post-secondary education, less than 3 years (ISCED97 4+5B) 41,200 SEK – 42,700 SEK –
Post-secondary education 3 years or more (ISCED97 5A) 40,700 SEK – 40,200 SEK –

Pay by region

Statistics Sweden reports pay by job at the level of national areas (NUTS 2), not by county.

Monthly salary by region
Region 30,000 50,000 Average pay Men Women Number
Stockholm 42,900 SEK – 42,500 SEK –
East-Central Sweden 39,100 SEK – 38,800 SEK 310
South Sweden 41,000 SEK – – –

Pay growth 2014–2025

Median salary per year. Years with no reported median are skipped. The dashed line marks the break between the older and the newer series at Statistics Sweden; comparisons across it should be made with care.

From 30,200 SEK in 2014 to 39,600 SEK in 2025, +31% in total. Nominal figures, not adjusted for inflation. The lighter part of the line, the years before 2023, comes from an older set of statistics at Statistics Sweden and is not fully comparable with the later years.

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Swedish job titles in this occupation

Statistics Sweden files the following Swedish job titles under SSYK 2643, “översättare, tolkar och lingvister m.fl.”. These are the titles you will actually meet in Swedish job ads.

  • Dialogtolk
  • Dövblindtolk
  • Dövtolk
  • Forskare, språk
  • Konferenstolk
  • Konsult, språk
  • Kontakttolk
  • Korrekturläsare, översättare
  • Lexikograf
  • Lingvist
  • Nyhetstextare
  • Ordboksförfattare
  • Rättstolk
  • Sjukvårdstolk
  • Språkforskare
  • Språkgranskare
  • Språkkonsult
  • Språkteknolog
  • Språkvetare
  • Svensktextare
  • Taltjänsttolk
  • Teckenspråkstolk
  • Teknisk översättare
  • Tolk, dialog-
  • Tolk, konferens-
  • Tolk, kontakt-
  • Tolk, ospec
  • Tolk, rätts-
  • Tolk, sjukvårds-
  • Translator
  • Undertextare
  • Vuxendövtolk
  • Översättare

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary for a translator or interpreter in Sweden?

The median salary for a translator or interpreter in Sweden is 39,600 SEK per month before tax (2025). That means half earn less and half earn more. The median across all jobs in Sweden is 38,300 SEK, so translators, interpreters and other linguists sit 3% higher than the typical job.

How much does a translator or interpreter earn after tax?

The median salary for a translator or interpreter is 39,600 SEK a month before tax. In an average Swedish municipality, without the church fee and for someone under 66, that works out at roughly 31,508 SEK after tax. The exact figure depends on which municipality you live in — our salary-after-tax calculator works it out.

What is the difference between average and median pay for translators, interpreters and other linguists?

The average (40,600 SEK) is the mean of every salary and is pulled upwards by the highest earners. The median (39,600 SEK) is the salary in the middle of the scale and usually gives a better picture of what translators, interpreters and other linguists typically earn.

What is the starting salary for a translator or interpreter in Sweden?

Statistics Sweden does not publish starting salaries as such. The closest figure is the youngest people in the job: translators, interpreters and other linguists aged 25–34 years earn 35,900 SEK per month on average. The lowest-paid 10% in the job earn less than 29,500 SEK.

How high can the salary go for translators, interpreters and other linguists?

The highest-paid 10% in the job earn more than 52,000 SEK per month. Pay is shaped by sector, experience, level of education and where in the country you work.

Is there a gender pay gap among translators, interpreters and other linguists in Sweden?

Women's average salary is 102% of men's in this job. The median salary is 38,500 SEK for men and 40,500 SEK for women. The figure is not adjusted for differences in age, sector or working hours.

Where in Sweden does a translator or interpreter earn the most?

Pay is highest in Stockholm, where translators, interpreters and other linguists earn 42,900 SEK per month on average.

Jobs with similar pay

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See the whole occupational group Authors, journalists and linguists or occupations requiring advanced level of higher education