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Interpreters in Boston, MA
Yes: we book interpreters in Boston in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile of travel) or by video at $80 an hour. Massachusetts courts provide an interpreter for every in-court proceeding at no cost through the Trial Court's Office of Language Access, so you book one for what happens outside the courtroom: depositions, attorney meetings, USCIS interviews and Department of Industrial Accidents conferences, where the party filing the claim provides and pays for the interpreter.
In person in Boston
$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.
Quote within minutes
We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and any travel, before you book. Asking costs nothing.
In Boston the courtroom is covered and the rest of the case is not
Massachusetts posts a notice in its courthouses that says, in 30 languages, "You have the right to an interpreter at no cost to you." The Trial Court's Office of Language Access staffs those proceedings. Its public release roster lists staff and per diem court interpreters by language and county, but states that interpreters acquired from it are for out-of-court proceedings only, and asks parties to review an interpreter's credentials before hiring.
That is the line for anyone booking in Boston. A Suffolk County hearing is interpreted by the court. The deposition in a Back Bay conference room, the client meeting before trial, and the witness interview in Dorchester are arranged by the lawyers. A three-hour deposition in person is $330, plus travel at $0.70 a mile: a 40-mile round trip adds $28, for $358. By video the same three hours is $240.
Workers' compensation conferences put the interpreter on the filing party
The Department of Industrial Accidents says that under 452 CMR 1.10(10), the responsibility for providing and paying for an interpreter at a Section 10A conference rests with the party filing the claim or complaint, and that certified interpreters are required at hearings. That makes whoever filed, the employee on a claim, the one who books. Tell us at the time of the request whether it is a conference or a hearing, so we can confirm before you book whether we can staff the credential the hearing requires. The setting is covered on interpreters for workers' compensation hearings.
Boston speaks Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese as well as Spanish
Spanish leads the Census count at 98,171 Boston residents, followed by the broad "Other Indo-European languages" group and by "French, Haitian, or Cajun". The table does not break those groups down; the city's schools and Boston Medical Center show what is inside them. BPS works in nine major languages, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and Boston Medical Center lists Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole right after Spanish among its patients' top languages.
For a hearing preparation or a deposition, name the language exactly. Haitian Creole and French are not interchangeable, and neither are Cape Verdean Creole and Portuguese. Cape Verdean Creole is priced as a limited-availability language, 25–30% over the base rate; Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Spanish are at the standard rate.
Languages spoken at home in Boston
The most common languages other than English, from the U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 2024 5-year (2020–2024), table C16001, Language Spoken at Home for the Population 5 Years and Over, Boston city, Massachusetts. A language that links has its own page on what to get right when booking an interpreter for it.
| Language | People who speak it at home |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 98,171 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 30,030 |
| French, Haitian, or Cajun | 26,864 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 26,145 |
| Vietnamese | 10,346 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 6,155 |
| Russian, Polish, or other Slavic languages | 5,709 |
| Arabic | 4,335 |
Where interpreters are needed in Boston, and who provides them
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 |
|---|---|
| Boston Immigration Court (EOIR), JFK Federal Building, 15 New Sudbury Street, Room 320 | The court provides the interpreter for the hearing. Attorneys book us for witness preparation and for reading declarations back before filing. |
| Chelmsford Immigration Court (EOIR), 150 Apollo Drive, Suite 100, Chelmsford | Another immigration court EOIR lists in Massachusetts. Same rule: the court interprets the hearing; preparation is arranged by counsel. |
| USCIS interviews for Boston-area applicants | USCIS uses Form G-1256 to record the presence of an interpreter that you have provided for an interview. That interpreter is one the applicant arranges; check the office address on the appointment notice. |
| Massachusetts Trial Court, Office of Language Access, 2 Center Plaza, 9th floor | In-court proceedings are entitled to interpreters through the Office of Language Access at no cost. Its public roster is for out-of-court proceedings only, which is where private bookings come in: depositions and attorney meetings. |
| Department of Industrial Accidents (workers' compensation) | At a Section 10A conference, the party filing the claim or complaint is responsible for providing and paying for the interpreter (452 CMR 1.10(10)). Certified interpreters are required at hearings. |
| Boston Public Schools, Office of Language Access Services | BPS interprets IEP and 504 meetings, conferences and enrollment, with requests at least two weeks ahead. Ask the school first; families book us for meetings outside the district's. |
| Boston Medical Center, Interpreter Services | Interpreters are free of charge 24 hours a day, in person, by phone and by video, in more than 150 languages. Patients there should not be paying for one. |
What an 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.
By video, by phone or in person
Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.
In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.
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.
Sources
What this page says about Boston was checked against these sources on October 29, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 5-year, table C16001, Boston city, Massachusetts
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Boston Immigration Court
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Chelmsford Immigration Court
- USCIS — Form G-1256, Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview
- Massachusetts Trial Court, Office of Language Access — Public Release Roster (updated March 30, 2026)
- Massachusetts Trial Court, Office of Language Access — Notice of Linguistic Access
- Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents — Interpreters
- Boston Public Schools, Office of Language Access Services — Interpretation Request
- Boston Public Schools, Office of Language Access Services — About
- Boston Medical Center — Interpreter Services
Frequently asked questions
Do Massachusetts courts provide an interpreter for free?
Yes, for in-court proceedings. The Trial Court's Office of Language Access provides them at no cost. Its public roster of interpreters is for out-of-court proceedings, such as depositions, which the parties arrange and pay for.
Does the Boston Immigration Court provide an interpreter?
Yes, for the hearing itself, at 15 New Sudbury Street. You may still want one for preparing the respondent and witnesses beforehand, which the court does not cover.
Who pays for the interpreter at a DIA conference in Boston?
The party filing the claim or complaint, under 452 CMR 1.10(10), according to the Department of Industrial Accidents. Certified interpreters are required at hearings.
What does an in-person interpreter cost in Boston?
$110 an hour with a two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile from the interpreter's location, confirmed before you book. A three-hour deposition with a 40-mile round trip is $358. Video is $80 an hour.
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 an interpreter in Boston?
Tell us the date, the language, the venue and how long it runs, and we will confirm the interpreter and the exact price, travel included.