Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Nevada

Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Nevada

Nevada state authorities periodically offer exams, both written and oral, for certification based on the guidelines of the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification.

To date, the following spoken languages have been offered for certification/registration in Nevada:

Additional languages are available for certification in Nevada upon request.

Classification of Interpreters in Nevada

The Nevada Administrative Office of Courts defines legal interpreters in the following three ways:

• Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 70 percent on a three-part oral exam as well as a minimum of 80 percent on a written exam, attended an orientation seminar, obtained 40 hours of Nevada court observation, and passed a criminal background check.
• Certified Interpreter, Master Level: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 80 percent on a three-part oral exam as well as a minimum of 80 percent on a written exam, attended an orientation seminar, obtained 40 hours of Nevada court observation, and passed a criminal background check.

• Registered Interpreter: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 80 percent on a written exam, passed an oral proficiency interview, attended an orientation seminar, obtained 40 hours of Nevada court observation, and passed a criminal background check.

Not all venues in Nevada require certified interpreters, even for Spanish-language cases. Please consult with Legal Language Services for the rules pertaining to your specific venue and language.

Common Languages Spoken in Nevada

According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 28.21% of the Nevada population speaks a language other than English.

What’s more, more than 88% of the non-English speaking population in Nevada speaks one of the following 10 languages:

Other languages spoken in Nevada include Thai, Arabic, Cantonese, Persian, Russian, Mandarin, Armenian, Polish, Serbian, Greek, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Ilocano, Hindi, Portuguese, Hungarian, other specified North American Indian languages, Laotian and Chamorro.

*This table was created based on respondents’ written answers, the majority of whom wrote “Chinese” while others specified “Cantonese” or “Mandarin.”

Judicial Districts in Nevada

There are 11 judicial districts in Nevada encompassing 16 counties and one independent city, Carson City. Certification requirements in Nevada are statewide and remain consistent across all local jurisdictions.

Call Legal Language Services at 1-800-788-0450 to find Nevada interpreters who meet state interpreting rules for courtroom trials, hearings, depositions, arbitrations and other legal proceedings.

Please Note

The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The information about legal interpreting guidelines in Nevada is believed to be accurate at the time of posting; however, Legal Language Services is not responsible for any errors or omissions.