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Interpreters in New York, NY
Yes: we book interpreters in New York City by video at $80 an hour (one-hour minimum) or in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum), plus $0.70 per mile of travel, and confirm the price before you pay. Check first whether the venue supplies one: the immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 290 Broadway and 201 Varick Street provide the interpreter for the hearing, and New York State courts schedule one at no expense for parties and witnesses under 22 NYCRR 217.1. Depositions, attorney meetings and USCIS interviews are where New Yorkers book their own.
In person in New York
$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.
Nearly half of New Yorkers over five speak a language other than English at home
The Census Bureau's 2024 estimate counts 8,022,927 New York City residents aged five and over, of whom 4,149,096 speak only English at home (ACS B16001). After Spanish, at 1.8 million, come Chinese at 525,042, Russian, Bengali, the Yiddish group, Haitian Creole, French and Arabic. The City's own list of ten designated languages under Local Law 30 is close to the same: Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Korean, Arabic, Urdu, French and Polish.
The Census figure for Chinese does not separate the varieties, and an interpreter cannot either: tell us whether the person speaks Mandarin, Cantonese or another variety such as Fuzhounese, which is priced as a rare language (+75%). All ten of the City's designated languages are standard-rate for us. Yiddish carries the limited-availability surcharge of 25–30%, so an in-person hour is $137.50 to $143.
New York courts supply the interpreter; a party who brings their own pays for it
Part 217 of the Uniform Rules puts the duty on the court. When a judge finds that a party or witness, or the parent of a minor party in Family Court, cannot understand and communicate in English well enough to take part, the clerk schedules an interpreter at no expense from the Office of Court Administration's approved list, and may allow interpretation by telephone or video (22 NYCRR 217.1(a)). If you are a party or witness in a New York State court, ask the clerk's office before you hire anyone.
The same rule allows the exception: a person with limited English, other than a witness, may waive the court-appointed interpreter, with the court's consent, if they provide their own interpreter at their own expense (217.1(b)). That is uncommon. What we are booked for in New York is the work around the courtroom: depositions in Manhattan conference rooms, meetings between attorney and client before a Family Court date, witness preparation for the immigration courts at Federal Plaza, Broadway and Varick Street, and USCIS interviews at the field offices in Manhattan, Long Island City and Brooklyn.
What an interpreted day in New York City costs
A green card interview at 26 Federal Plaza usually fits inside the two-hour in-person minimum: $220, plus travel at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 20-mile round trip adds $14, for $234. A deposition in Midtown noticed for 10 a.m. and finishing at 3 p.m. is five hours, $550; with a 30-mile round trip it is $571. A one-hour video call to prepare a witness in Queens is $80.
We quote within minutes, four business hours at most, with the travel figure confirmed before you book. Standard-availability languages can normally be staffed in person in most metropolitan areas, New York included, but we confirm the specific language and date for you rather than promise it in advance.
Languages spoken at home in New York
The most common languages other than English, from the U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001 (language spoken at home, population 5 years and over), New York city, New York. 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 | 1,808,138 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 525,042 |
| Russian | 172,756 |
| Bengali | 152,129 |
| Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic languages | 125,091 |
| Haitian | 100,964 |
| French (incl. Cajun) | 92,607 |
| Arabic | 85,321 |
| Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or other languages of Western Africa | 80,795 |
| Korean | 60,387 |
Where interpreters are needed in New York, 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 |
|---|---|
| New York immigration courts: 26 Federal Plaza (12th floor), 290 Broadway (15th floor) and 201 Varick Street (5th floor), Manhattan | The court provides the interpreter for the hearing, at government expense, using staff, contract or telephone interpreters (ICPM 3.10). Attorneys book their own for client preparation and witness meetings. |
| USCIS New York City Field Office (26 Federal Plaza, 3rd floor), Queens Field Office (31-00 47th Avenue, Long Island City) and Brooklyn Field Office (532 Fulton Street) | USCIS does not supply one for a green card interview: an applicant who needs an interpreter brings one, who shows a government-issued ID, takes an oath and interprets word for word. |
| New York State trial courts in the five boroughs | In civil and criminal cases the clerk schedules an interpreter at no expense for a party or witness who cannot meaningfully take part in English (22 NYCRR 217.1). Depositions, held outside the courtroom, are arranged by the attorneys. |
| NYC Public Schools | Families have a right to interpretation when speaking with school staff or at meetings about their child, at no cost, under Chancellor's Regulation A-663. Ask the school's parent coordinator or principal, or call 311. |
| New York City agencies (Local Law 30) | Covered City agencies must offer telephone interpretation in at least 100 languages and post signs about free interpretation. The law covers City agencies, not lawyers' offices, landlords, banks or employers. |
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 New York was checked against these sources on October 29, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, B16001, New York city (read from the table-based summary file, acsdt1y2024-b16001.dat)
- EOIR — New York - Federal Plaza Immigration Court
- EOIR — New York - Broadway Immigration Court
- EOIR — New York - Varick Immigration Court
- EOIR — Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 3.10, Interpreters
- USCIS — Field Office Locator (New York City, Queens and Brooklyn field offices)
- USCIS Policy Manual — Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5, Interview Guidelines
- 22 NYCRR 217.1 — Obligation to appoint interpreter in court proceedings in the trial courts (LII)
- NYC Public Schools — NYC Public Schools Speak Your Language
- NYC Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs — Local Law 30 Report for Fiscal Year 2025
Frequently asked questions
Does the New York immigration court provide an interpreter?
Yes. The immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 290 Broadway and 201 Varick Street provide interpreters at government expense for the hearing; the request should be made no later than 30 days before it (ICPM 3.10). You do not hire one for the hearing itself.
Do I need to bring my own interpreter to a USCIS interview in New York?
For a green card interview, yes, if you need one: the USCIS Policy Manual has the interpreter show a valid government-issued ID, take an oath and interpret word for word. An in-person interpreter is $110 an hour with a two-hour minimum, plus travel.
Can I bring my own interpreter to a New York State court?
Only with the court's consent, and at your own expense: 22 NYCRR 217.1(b) lets a party, but not a witness, waive the court-appointed interpreter on those terms. Otherwise the court schedules one at no expense.
Do New York City public schools provide interpreters for parents?
Yes, at no cost. NYC Public Schools says parents have a right to interpretation when speaking with staff or attending meetings about their child, under Chancellor's Regulation A-663 (NYCPS).
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 New York?
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.