Legal Language Services ranks Kansas as a state with lightly regulated legal interpreting requirements.
Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Kansas
Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Kansas
Kansas does not require certified interpreters for any legal proceeding, nor does the state offer certification in any language. However, a free, online court interpreter orientation is in development.
Classification of Interpreters in Kansas
The Kansas Judicial Department defines legal interpreters in the following two ways:
- Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has met the requirements of a professional organization or government entity through rigorous testing based on appropriate and consistent criteria.
- Qualified Interpreter: An interpreter who has been assessed for professional skills, demonstrates a high level of proficiency in at least two languages and has the appropriate training and experience to interpret with skill and accuracy while adhering to a code of professional ethics.
Common Languages Spoken in Kansas
According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 10.52% of the Kansas population speaks a language other than English.
What’s more, almost 87% of the non-English speaking population in Kansas speaks one of the following 10 languages:
Other languages spoken in Kansas include Hindi, Telugu, Russian, Japanese, Hmong, Bengali, Mandarin, Italian, Amharic, Persian, Kru/Ibo/Yoruba, Tamil, Portuguese, Urdu, Thai, Panjabi, Malayalam, Gujarathi and Cushite.
*This table was created based on respondents’ written answers, the majority of whom wrote “Chinese” while others specified “Cantonese” or “Mandarin.”
Judicial Districts in Kansas
Legal interpreting requirements can vary by district in Kansas. This state has 31 judicial districts that encompass 105 counties:
- 1st Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Atchinson, Leavenworth - 2nd Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, Wabaunsee - 3rd Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Shawnee - 4th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Anderson, Coffey, Franklin, Osage - 5th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Chase, Lyon - 6th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Bourbon, Linn, Miami - 7th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Douglas - 8th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Dickinson, Geary, Marion, Morris - 9th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Harvey, McPherson - 10th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Johnson - 11th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Cherokee, Crawford, Labette
- 12th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Cloud, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Republic, Washington - 13th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Butler, Greenwood, Elk - 14th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Chautauqua, Montgomery - 15th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Cheyenne, Sherman, Wallace, Rawlins, Thomas, Logan, Sheridan - 16th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Gray, Meade, Ford, Clark, Kiowa, Comanche - 17th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Decatur, Norton, Graham, Phillips, Smith, Osborne - 18th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Sedgwick - 19th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Cowley - 20th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Russell, Barton, Stafford, Ellsworth, Rice - 21st Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Clay, Riley
- 22nd Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Doniphan, Brown, Nemaha, Marshall - 23rd Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Gove, Trego, Ellis, Rooks - 24th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Lane, Ness, Hodgeman, Rush, Pawnee, Edwards - 25th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Finney, Greely, Hamilton, Kearny, Scott, Wichita - 26th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Stanton, Grant, Haskell, Morton, Stevens, Seward - 27th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Reno - 28th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Ottawa, Saline - 29th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Wyandotte - 30th Judicial District of Kansas
Counties: Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, Sumner - 31st Judicial District of Kansas
Counties; Allen, Neosho, Wilson, Woodson
Call Legal Language Services at 1-800-788-0450 to find Kansas 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 Kansas is believed to be accurate at the time of posting; however, Legal Language Services is not responsible for any errors or omissions.
