Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Indiana

Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Indiana

Certified interpreters are not mandatory in all Indiana courts, but courts are encouraged to use them. In addition, some Indiana trial courts use only certified interpreters.

Please be aware that some counties in Indiana may have specific legal interpreting regulations in addition to the statewide requirements.

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

Indiana offers certification in 18 languages:

Classification of Interpreters in Indiana

The Indiana Judicial Department defines legal interpreters in the following two ways:

• Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has attended a two-day orientation, passed a written exam with a minimum score of 80 percent, attended a two-day skills seminar, passed all three portions of the oral examination with a minimum score of 70 percent, submitted to a criminal background check, and signed an oath agreeing to comply with the Indiana Supreme Court Interpreter Code of Conduct and Procedure.
• Qualified Interpreter: An interpreter who has attended a two-day orientation, passed a written exam with a minimum score of 80 percent, attended a two-day skills seminar, scored a Superior or the highest level in the Oral Proficiency Interview in both English and the target language, submitted to a criminal background check, and signed an oath agreeing to comply with the Indiana Supreme Court Interpreter Code of Conduct and Procedure.

Not all venues in Indiana require certified interpreters. Please consult with Legal Language Services for the rules pertaining to your specific venue and language.

Common Languages Spoken in Indiana

According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 7.77% of the Indiana population speaks a language other than English.

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

Other languages spoken in Indiana include Russian, Vietnamese, Dutch, Polish, Greek, Serbian, Italian, Gujarathi, Panjabi, Burmese, Kru/Ibo/Yoruba, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Urdu, Portuguese, Indian, Telugu and Romanian.

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

Judicial Districts in Indiana

Legal interpreting requirements can vary by district in Indiana. This state has 26 judicial districts that encompass 92 counties:

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