Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Tennessee

Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Tennessee

Tennessee does not require certified interpreters for any legal proceeding. However, court systems in Tennessee periodically offer exams, both written and oral, for certification based on the guidelines of the Consortium for State Court Interpreter Certification.

The state of Tennessee also recognizes certified interpreters from states offering Consortium-based certification as well as federal certification and the National Judiciary Interpreter and Translator Certification Exam.

Tennessee offers certification in the following languages:

Classification of Interpreters in Tennessee

The state of Tennessee classifies court interpreters in the following three ways:

• Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has attended a two-day orientation program, passed an oral exam as well as a three-part written exam, and submitted to a criminal background check.
• Registered Interpreter: An interpreter who has attended a two-day orientation program, passed a three-part written exam, and submitted to a criminal background check.
• Non-Credentialed Interpreter: An interpreter who has not completed all of the steps necessary to become a registered interpreter or who has not yet started the certification process.

Not all venues in Tennessee 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 Tennessee

According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 6.22% of the Tennessee population speaks a language other than English.

What’s more, more than 81% of the non-English speaking population in Tennessee speaks one of the following 10 languages:

Other languages spoken in Tennessee include Russian, Japanese, Gujarathi, Kurdish, Amharic, Persian, Italian, Serbo-Croatian, Kru/Ibo/Yoruba, Cushite, Telugu, Mon-Khmer/Cambodian, Portuguese, Polish, Thai, Romanian, Mandarin, Malayalam and Urdu.

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

Judicial Districts in Tennessee

There are 31 judicial districts in Tennessee that encompass 95 counties. However, certification requirements in Tennessee are statewide and remain consistent across all local jurisdictions.

Call Legal Language Services at 1-800-788-0450 to find Tennessee 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 Tennessee is believed to be accurate at the time of posting; however, Legal Language Services is not responsible for any errors or omissions.