Legal Interpreting Guidelines in Missouri

Requirements for Certified Interpreters in Missouri

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

Missouri offers certification in the following languages:

In addition to these, abbreviated exams are offered in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Marshallese, and Turkish.

Despite offering certification in 20 languages, only legal interpreters who have taken the exam in Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, French, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese have passed in Missouri as of October 2019, according to Missouri Court Interpreter Services.

Classification of Interpreters in Missouri

The Missouri Judicial Department defines legal interpreters in the following way:

• Certified Interpreter: An interpreter who has scored a minimum of 80 percent on a four-part oral exam as well as a written exam and who has completed an orientation seminar.
• Qualified Interpreter: An interpreter who has not achieved certification but has met minimum requirements to be approved by the court and will be considered for legal interpreting assignments.

Not all venues in Missouri 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 Missouri

According to a recent American Community Survey, approximately 5.88% of the Missouri population speaks a language other than English.

What’s more, almost 77% of the non-English speaking population in Missouri speaks one of the following 10 languages:

Other languages spoken in Missouri include Italian, Pennsylvania Dutch, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Telugu, Dutch, Kru/Ibo/Yoruba, Urdu, Portuguese, Polish, Tamil, Gujarathi, Albanian, Greek, Cushite, Mandarin, other Pacific Island languages, 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 Missouri

There are 45 judicial districts in Missouri that encompass 114 counties, as well as the independent city of St. Louis, which seceded from St. Louis County in 1876:

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