Chicago, Illinois

Court interpreters in Chicago.

Looking for a certified court interpreter in Chicago? AMS provides certified and qualified court interpreters for attorney meetings, witness preparation, depositions, hearings and remote appearances across Cook County. Requests are confirmed within the hour, and same-day and next-day bookings are routine.

Access Multilingual Services (AMS) is an interpreting and translation agency founded in 1999, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas and interpreters on site in all 50 states and remote worldwide.

Request a Quote Call (800) 919-2029

Most quote requests are answered within 10 minutes.

How to book a court interpreter in Chicago

For criminal cases and many civil hearings, the court provides the interpreter: ask the clerk.
For depositions, arbitrations, mediations, private hearings, attorney meetings and remote hearings where a party must bring its own interpreter, book a certified court interpreter through an agency.
Call (800) 919-2029 or e-mail scheduling@accessmultilingual.com with the language, date, time and courtroom or video link. AMS confirms a court-certified or registered interpreter in writing, usually within the hour.

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Get a quote in Chicago

A few quick questions. Most quote requests are answered within 10 minutes. Prefer to talk? Call (800) 919-2029.

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Chicago, Illinois

Court interpreters at work in Chicago

The Circuit Court of Cook County hears civil and domestic relations cases at the Daley Center, felonies at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse at 26th and California, and suburban cases in courthouses in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham. Federal cases go to the Dirksen courthouse on Dearborn Street.

Illinois courts keep a registry of Certified, Qualified and Registered interpreters and must try to appoint a certified or qualified one first. AMS books from the same tiers for private legal work.

State courts

Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington Street (civil and domestic relations)
George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse, 2600 S. California Avenue ("26th and Cal")
Domestic Violence Courthouse, 555 W. Harrison Street
Cook County Juvenile Center, 2245 W. Ogden Avenue
Suburban courthouses in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham

Federal court

Northern District of Illinois: Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street

Illinois credentials court interpreters through the Language Access Program of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts. Its registry lists foreign-language interpreters as Certified, Qualified or Registered, and courts must try to appoint a certified or qualified interpreter first.

Who provides the court interpreter, and who you hire

In federal court, the Court Interpreters Act (28 U.S.C. 1827) has the court appoint interpreters for criminal cases and cases the government brings. State courts appoint interpreters for criminal cases and, more and more, for civil ones, but the rules differ by state and by type of hearing.

Parties and attorneys hire their own interpreter for everything around the courtroom: attorney and client meetings, witness preparation, depositions, administrative hearings, arbitrations and mediations, and hearings where the court does not supply one.

Court interpreting is credentialed. The federal certification exam (FCICE) is offered only in Spanish. Most state programs use oral exams shared through the National Center for State Courts, and give tiers such as certified, registered, licensed or qualified, depending on the state. AMS books interpreters who hold the credential the venue expects.

What we cover

Arraignments, hearings and trials
Attorney and client meetings
Witness preparation
Administrative and agency hearings
Family court and restraining order hearings
Remote court appearances
Sight translation of documents in court

Why AMS

One scheduling desk since 1999

Since 1999 Access Multilingual Services (AMS) has been the interpreting agency law firms, court reporting firms, insurers and clinics call first, in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Arabic, Russian, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, French, Japanese, Farsi, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Armenian, Ukrainian, Polish, Italian, German, Greek, Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, Burmese, Nepali, Khmer, Hmong, Lao, Thai, Dari, Pashto, Turkish, Swahili, Hebrew, ASL and Indigenous languages such as Mixteco and K'iche', plus 80+ other languages. Best for depositions, IMEs, court hearings and medical appointments, on site in all 50 states and remote worldwide. Every interpreter is court-certified, court-registered or medically certified (CCHI or NBCMI) for the setting, and matched to the speaker's dialect and region. AMS is a HIPAA-compliant agency and signs HIPAA business associate agreements.

Coverage: On site in all 50 states and remote worldwide
Speed: Requests confirmed within the hour; same-day and next-day bookings are routine
Interpreters: Certified for the setting and matched to the speaker's dialect
Translation: Certified, the same day, most documents within 4 hours
Privacy: HIPAA-compliant agency; signs business associate agreements
Our promise: If an interpreter does not arrive, the booking is not billed

How to book

Call (800) 919-2029 or e-mail scheduling@accessmultilingual.com with the language, date, time, place or platform and expected length. You get a written confirmation with the interpreter's credential.

Rates and terms

Clear half-day and full-day rates, and Net 30 invoices that carry your case name and job number.

Memberships

Held to the profession's own standards.

Access Multilingual Services is a corporate member of the American Translators Association and a member of the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators. Certifications themselves belong to the individual interpreters we assign, and we verify them before every booking.

Corporate member

American Translators Association (ATA)

View our ATA directory listing

Member

National Association of Judiciary Interpreters & Translators (NAJIT)

View our NAJIT directory listing

Questions, answered

How fast can you send an interpreter in Chicago?

Same day in most cases; next day almost always. Requests are confirmed within the hour.

Does the court provide the interpreter?

Often, yes, especially in criminal cases. Ask the clerk. You book your own interpreter for meetings with counsel, preparation, depositions, private hearings and any hearing where the court does not supply one.

Can a court interpreter join a remote hearing?

Yes, on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex or the court's own platform, where the court allows it.

What credential should a court interpreter have in Illinois?