Interpreter Services

The Court Interpreters Act of 1978 provides for the presiding judicial officer in the United States District Courts to appoint an interpreter in judicial proceedings instituted by the United States. In bankruptcy courts, the presiding judicial officer will appoint an interpreter only if the United States initiates the proceedings.

Where the Act does not require the appointment of an interpreter at the expense of the United States, that is, in all judicial proceedings that have not been instituted by the United States, the clerk shall provide assistance to the parties in locating an available interpreter. To that effect, the Clerk’s Office is posting the Local Roster of Active Certified English/Spanish Court Interpreters on this web page.

Attorneys contracting the services of interpreters for U.S. District Court proceedings should determine that the interpreter is familiar with the proper demeanor, protocol, and terminology to be used in federal courts, and the Professional Code of Ethics applicable to all court interpreters. In those cases in which no experienced interpreter may be found to render services because of the unusual nature of the language combination, attorneys may refer their contract interpreter to the Clerk’s Office for an orientation by one of our Official Court Interpreters.