New York City, New York

Court interpreters in New York City.

Looking for a certified court interpreter in New York City? The courts supply interpreters for many proceedings; AMS supplies court interpreters for everything around them: attorney meetings, witness preparation, depositions, private hearings and remote appearances in all five boroughs. 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 New York City

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 New York City

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New York City, New York

Court interpreters at work in New York City

New York's court interpreter program is run by the Unified Court System's Office of Language Access. There are no certified or licensed tiers: freelance interpreters who pass the court system's written exam and, in the languages it tests, its oral exam go on the statewide registry of per diem court interpreters kept by the Office of Language Access, and staff interpreters hold the civil service title Court Interpreter. AMS states your interpreter's credential in the written confirmation.

Manhattan's courts cluster around Foley Square: civil cases at 60 Centre Street, criminal at 100 Centre Street, Civil and Housing Court at 111 Centre Street, Family Court at 60 Lafayette Street. Brooklyn's Supreme Court sits at 360 Adams Street (civil) and 320 Jay Street (criminal).

State courts

New York County Supreme Court, Civil Term, 60 Centre Street
Manhattan Supreme Court, Criminal Term, and Criminal Court, 100 Centre Street
Civil Court of the City of New York and Housing Court, 111 Centre Street
New York County Family Court, 60 Lafayette Street
Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term, 360 Adams Street, Brooklyn
Kings County Supreme Court, Criminal Term, 320 Jay Street, Brooklyn

Federal court

Southern District of New York: Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse, 40 Foley Square, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan U.S. Courthouse, 500 Pearl Street
Eastern District of New York: Theodore Roosevelt U.S. Courthouse, 225 Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn

New York State courts run court interpreting through the Unified Court System's Office of Language Access. New York does not use certified or licensed tiers: freelance interpreters who pass the court system's written exam and, in the languages it tests, its oral exam go on the statewide registry of per diem court interpreters kept by the Office of Language Access, and staff interpreters hold the civil service title Court Interpreter. For American Sign Language the courts accept the RID credential.

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 New York City?

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 New York?