Interpreters & Language Access
Court Interpreter Service
Court proceedings are conducted in English. If a party or a witness does not speak English well, he or she may need an interpreter to testify, to speak to the judge, and to understand what others are saying in a proceeding. Certified and registered court interpreters are specifically trained to interpret in court proceedings. If you need language assistance, you should ask the court if it can provide a court interpreter by completing local request form ALA-INT-001 (see below in accordions).
There is no charge for the services of a court appointed interpreter.
Criminal & Traffic Matters do not use form ALA-INT-001 for criminal or traffic cases. If you are a defendant or a witness in a criminal matter, you may tell your attorney (or the DA) that you need an interpreter; if you are a traffic defendant, when you come to court to get a date set for a hearing, please let the clerk at the filing window know that you need an interpreter.
Interpreters are neutral and bound to confidentiality.
Note: Although the court attempts to meet all requests, the court is not always able to provide an interpreter in every language or in every civil case.
How to Become a Court Interpreter
Court Interpreter Program
Learn more about California’s Court Interpreter Program (CIP) and how to become an interpreter.
Laney College Language Interpreter Certificate Program
Laney College in Oakland currently provides a language interpretation certificate program with the support of the Superior Court of California, County of Alameda. For more information regarding their innovative interpretation programs, please visit Laney College's website.
Forms
Language | Request Form | Complaint Form | COVID-19 Safety |
---|---|---|---|
Arabic | Covid-19 Safety | ||
Chinese |
|
Covid-19 Safety | |
English |
Complaint Form | Covid-19 Safety | |
Farsi | Complaint Form | Covid-19 Safety | |
Korean | Covid-19 Safety | ||
Punjabi | Complaint Form | Covid-19 Safety | |
Russian | Covid-19 Safety | ||
Spanish | Complaint Form | Covid-19 Safety | |
Tagalog | Complaint Form | ||
Vietnamese | Complaint Form | Covid-19 Safety |