Legal Language Services ranks Delaware as a state with moderately regulated legal interpreting requirements.
Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Delaware
Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Delaware
Delaware state authorities periodically offer exams, both written and oral, for certification based on the National Center of State Courts’ performance exam.
Languages available in the full exam include:
- Arabic
- Cantonese
- French
- Haitian Creole
- Hmong
- Ilocano
- Italian
- Korean
- Laotian
- Mandarin
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Somali
- Spanish
- Vietnamese
Languages available in the abbreviated exam include:
- Arabic (Egyptian colloquial)
- Bosnian
- Croatian
- German
- Serbian
- Turkish
Classification of Interpreters in Delaware
The Delaware Judicial Department defines legal interpreters in the following ways:
- Professionally Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 70 percent on a three-part oral exam, passed a written exam, attended a two-day orientation seminar, passed a criminal background check and who abides by the Court Interpreter Code of Professional Ethics.
- Conditionally Approved Interpreter: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 60 percent on a three-part oral exam, passed a written exam, attended a two-day orientation seminar, passed a criminal background check and who abides by the Court Interpreter Code of Professional Ethics.
- Registered Candidate: An interpreter who has passed a written exam, attended a two-day orientation seminar, passed a criminal background check and who abides by the Court Interpreter Code of Professional Ethics.
Not all venues in Delaware 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 Delaware
According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 12.19% of the Delaware population primarily speaks a language other than English.
What’s more, more than 78 percent of the non-English speaking population in Delaware speaks one of the following 10 languages:
Other languages spoken in Delaware include Telegu, Greek, Swahili, Vietnamese, Urdu, Polish, Korean, Arabic,Pennsylvania Dutch, Tamil and Japanese, among others.
Judicial Districts in Delaware
There are three judicial districts in Delaware, one for each county: Kent, New Castle and Sussex. Certification requirements in Delaware are statewide and remain consistent across all local jurisdictions.
Call Legal Language Services at 1-800-788-0450 to find Delaware 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 Delaware is believed to be accurate at the time of posting; however, Legal Language Services is not responsible for any errors or omissions.
