The general objective of this study is to describe the professional activity of the translator in the field of foreign trade in Peru, by means of the following three specific objectives: 1) describing the activities of the participants in order to carry out the commercial translation; 2) describing the competences they develop in order to translate; and 3) describing the status of the professional translator that is perceived in this field. Therefore, the starting point is a qualitative approach located in the interpretative paradigm. Based on a non-probabilistic sample, there were 13 participants among professional in-house translators, independent professional translators, and bilingual professionals, who were interviewed. Three semi-structured interview guides were formulated, including questions about the profession, directionality, specialization in foreign trade, time of service, and the type and category of foreign trade company the participants work for. Regarding the results, it was found that the staff translators were performing other tasks besides translation, which allowed them to grow personally and professionally. On the other hand, as far as competences are concerned, professional translators considered it convenient to take specialization courses in this field in order to have greater ease in translating. Finally, with regard to status, professional translators considered that translation is not yet a valued profession and that some companies in the commercial field favor bilingual professionals to carry out their translations in order to reduce costs.
