Home / Interpreters in Austin, TX / Cantonese
Cantonese interpreters in Austin, TX
Yes: we book Cantonese–English interpreters in Austin in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum) or by video at $80 an hour (one-hour minimum), plus $0.70 a mile of travel for in-person work, confirmed before you pay. A Cantonese interpreter for a USCIS interview in Austin, booked for the two-hour minimum, is $220 plus travel. 26,199 people in the Austin metro area speak Chinese at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001 (language spoken at home, population 5 years and over), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area.
In person in Austin
$110 an hour per interpreter, two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile from the interpreter's location.
By video or phone
$80 an hour, one-hour minimum, no travel. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or a phone call.
26,199
People in the Austin metro area who speak Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) at home (U.S. Census Bureau).
A Cantonese interpreter for a USCIS interview in Austin
USCIS does not supply one for a green card or marriage interview: applicants who are not fluent in English bring an interpreter, who shows ID, takes an oath and interprets word for word (USCIS Policy Manual), and you both sign Form G-1256 in front of the officer. The interpreter should be a disinterested party, not your spouse or a witness in the case (G-1256 instructions).
Booked with us, a Cantonese interpreter for a two-hour USCIS interview in Austin is $220; with a 30-mile round trip of travel, $241. If the interview runs past two hours, the extra time is billed at the same hourly rate. What to expect at each kind of USCIS interview is on the page about interpreters for USCIS interviews.
26,199 people in the Austin metro area speak Chinese at home
That is the count in the U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001 (language spoken at home, population 5 years and over), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area. The other languages most spoken at home in the Austin metro area, from the same table:
| Language | People who speak it at home |
|---|---|
| Spanish (Spanish interpreters) | 482,613 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (Mandarin interpreters) | 26,199 |
| Telugu (Telugu interpreters) | 22,063 |
| Hindi (Hindi interpreters) | 18,282 |
| Vietnamese (Vietnamese interpreters) | 16,911 |
| Nepali, Marathi, or other Indic languages (Nepali interpreters, Marathi interpreters) | 11,301 |
| French (incl. Cajun) (French interpreters) | 11,209 |
| Korean (Korean interpreters) | 10,632 |
| Tamil (Tamil interpreters) | 9,509 |
| Arabic (Arabic interpreters) | 9,399 |
Where a Cantonese interpreter is needed in Austin, and who provides one
Some of these places must provide the interpreter themselves, and then you should not be paying for one. Where that is so, the official page is linked.
| Place | Who provides the interpreter |
|---|---|
| Travis County Civil and Family Courts | The Court Administrator's Interpreter Coordinator arranges interpreters for parties and witnesses (civil.interpreter@traviscountytx.gov). An attorney may bring a Texas licensed interpreter, but the county reimburses that interpreter only with prior approval. Depositions are arranged by the attorneys. |
| Travis County criminal courts | Court coordinators schedule all interpreters; if an attorney contacts the interpreter directly, the courts are not responsible for the invoice. |
| State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH), Austin | SOAH provides and pays for a certified language interpreter; a party or witness files a written request at least seven days before the setting. Preparation meetings and depositions in those cases are arranged by the attorneys. |
| San Antonio Immigration Court (EOIR), 800 Dolorosa Street, Suite 300, San Antonio — the nearest court on EOIR's list to Austin | EOIR lists no immigration court in Austin. A court provides the interpreter for the hearing, at government expense (ICPM 3.10); the hearing notice names the court. Attorneys book their own for client preparation. |
| USCIS San Antonio Field Office, 20760 North US Highway 281, San Antonio, for Austin applicants | The locator returned this office for every Austin ZIP code we tried. For a green card interview the interpreter is provided by the applicant, who shows a government-issued ID, signs an oath and privacy release, and interprets word for word. |
| Austin ISD Office of Translation and Interpretation | Over-the-phone, video remote and in-person or Zoom interpretation for school meetings, requested by an Austin ISD employee; a family asks its school to make the request. |
Cantonese is a standard-availability language
Cantonese is one of the languages we can normally staff within the week, including for in-person work in most metropolitan areas, and it is priced at the standard rate with no availability surcharge.
Short notice is still worth flagging when you enquire. A next-day virtual assignment is usually possible; a next-day in-person assignment outside a major city frequently is not, and we will say so rather than accept and hope.
The standard-availability languages are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Polish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Somali and Nepali. Every other language we offer carries the 25–30% limited-availability rate, except the rare languages — Mam, K’iche’, Q’anjob’al, Tzotzil, Mixtec, Fuzhounese, Hakka, Hakha Chin, Kachin, Balochi, Bambara, Soninke, Tigre, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic — which carry 75%. If a language is not on the standard list it is not because we cannot do it — it is because the pool of qualified interpreters in the United States is small enough that we will not promise a date without checking.
What a Cantonese interpreter costs, worked out
These are the published rates multiplied out: $80 an hour by video or phone, $110 an hour in person, $0.70 a mile of travel.
| Booking | How it is worked out | Total |
|---|---|---|
| One-hour video or phone call | 1 hour × $80 | $80 |
| Two-hour video interview | 2 hours × $80 | $160 |
| Two-hour meeting in person, 20-mile round trip | 2 hours × $110 + 20 miles × $0.70 | $234 |
| Three-hour deposition or closing in person, 40-mile round trip | 3 hours × $110 + 40 miles × $0.70 | $358 |
| Full day in person (six hours), two interpreters in relay | 2 interpreters × 6 hours × $110 | $1,320 plus travel |
The quote confirms the interpreter, the exact travel figure and the total before you book; nothing is charged until you confirm.
How the travel charge works out
Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.
We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.
How booking an interpreter works
- You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
- We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, and no payment is taken at this stage.
- You confirm and pay, and the interpreter is booked for your date. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent to you once the booking is paid.
What to have ready
The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:
- The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
- Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
- The setting and the subject matter.
- How many people need interpreting for.
- Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter. We confirm before you book whether we can staff it; the interpreter's name and credentials follow once the booking is paid.
Request an interpreter
Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.
Thank you — we have your request
We will reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one, before you commit to anything.
Cantonese interpreters in nearby cities
- Cantonese interpreters in San Antonio, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in College Station, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in The Woodlands, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Sugar Land, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Missouri City, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Houston, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Pearland, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Arlington, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Grand Prairie, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Fort Worth, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Corpus Christi, TX
- Cantonese interpreters in Dallas, TX
Sources
What this page says about Austin was checked against these sources on November 3, 2026, and the USCIS rules on October 21, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001 (language spoken at home, population 5 years and over), Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Metro Area
- USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5
- USCIS, Form G-1256
- EOIR — Immigration Court List, Administrative Control
- EOIR — Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 3.10, Interpreters
- USCIS — Field Office Locator (San Antonio Field Office, returned for Austin ZIP codes)
- Texas Legislature — Government Code chapter 57, Court Interpreters (secs. 57.001, 57.002)
- Travis County Civil Courts — Procedure for Foreign Language Interpreters (effective February 1, 2025)
- Travis County Criminal Courts — Policies and Procedures, How do I Request a Court Interpreter?
- State Office of Administrative Hearings — 1 TAC §155.407, Interpreters
- Austin ISD — Translation & Interpretation
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Cantonese interpreter cost in Austin?
$110 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum, or $80 an hour by video or phone with a one-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile of travel for in-person work. A two-hour USCIS interview in person is $220; with a 30-mile round trip, $241. The exact figure is confirmed before you pay.
Can I get a Cantonese interpreter in person in Austin?
Yes. Cantonese is a standard-availability language, which we can normally staff in person in most metropolitan areas. We confirm the interpreter and the travel figure before you pay; if we cannot staff the date in person, we say so and offer video instead.
Do I need to bring my own Cantonese interpreter to a USCIS interview in Austin?
Yes, for a green card or marriage interview. USCIS does not supply one for a green card or marriage interview: applicants who are not fluent in English bring an interpreter, who shows ID, takes an oath and interprets word for word (USCIS Policy Manual), and you both sign Form G-1256 in front of the officer. The interpreter should be a disinterested party, not your spouse or a witness in the case (G-1256 instructions).
Does Austin have an immigration court?
Not on EOIR's list, which names twelve courts in Texas but none in Austin; the nearest is San Antonio, at 800 Dolorosa Street, Suite 300 (EOIR). Your hearing notice names the court, which provides the interpreter for the hearing (ICPM 3.10).
Will a Travis County court pay for my interpreter at a civil hearing?
The county's Interpreter Coordinator arranges interpreters for parties and witnesses when asked at the time the hearing is set, and an attorney's own Texas licensed interpreter is reimbursed only with prior approval (Travis County procedure). A party who files a statement of inability to afford court costs does not have to provide an interpreter at their own expense, unless the statement is contested and the court orders the party to pay costs (Gov't Code 57.002(g)).
Does the State Office of Administrative Hearings provide an interpreter?
Yes. Its rule says SOAH provides and pays for a certified language interpreter, and a party or witness who needs one files a written request at least seven days before the setting; a timely, unopposed request is deemed granted unless an order denies it (1 TAC 155.407).
How much is a Telugu interpreter in Austin?
Telugu is a limited-availability language: $137.50 to $143 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum, or $100 to $104 an hour by video with a one-hour minimum, plus $0.70 per mile of travel for in-person work.
Is the price per person or per interpreter?
Per interpreter, per hour, billed from the scheduled start time. One interpreter covers a meeting; a full-day hearing may need two working in relay.
What if the venue provides its own interpreter?
Then you should not be paying us. Immigration court provides one, and hospitals and school districts frequently must. Ask them first.
Can I see the interpreter's credentials before I pay?
Tell us the credential the venue or the other side requires when you request, and we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent once the booking is paid.
How is travel charged?
$0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 20-mile round trip is $14. We confirm the exact figure before you book, and virtual assignments carry none.
Need a Cantonese interpreter in Austin?
Tell us the date, the venue and how long it runs, and we will confirm the interpreter and the exact price, travel included.