Home / Interpreters / Philadelphia, PA
Interpreters in Philadelphia, PA
Yes: we book interpreters in Philadelphia in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile of travel) or by video at $80 an hour. The First Judicial District provides court interpreters at no cost to parties, victims and witnesses in civil and criminal proceedings, and the Philadelphia Immigration Court interprets its own hearings, so private bookings here are for depositions, attorney meetings and USCIS interviews.
In person in Philadelphia
$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.
Philadelphia courts interpret civil and criminal proceedings, and the lawyers arrange the rest
The First Judicial District's Notice of Language Rights says it plainly: "You have the right to an interpreter at no cost to you." Its Language Access Plan says the District provides court interpreters to all LEP and deaf or hard of hearing parties, victims, witnesses and certain other persons for any civil or criminal proceeding, and that an in-person interpreter for judicial proceedings is "strongly preferred under the law". The Language Access Coordinator is at 100 South Broad Street, Second Floor.
A deposition in a Center City conference room, an interview with a witness, a meeting at the law office before trial: none of those is a court proceeding, and the attorneys arrange the interpreter. A three-hour deposition in person is $330, plus $0.70 a mile of travel: a 30-mile round trip adds $21, for $351. The same three hours by video is $240. See interpreters for depositions.
Philadelphia's courts see Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin and Arabic most
The District's plan lists the languages for which interpreters were most frequently requested in 2024: Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese Mandarin and Arabic. Its forms are translated into Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The Census table matches that order only in part, because it groups languages: 161,231 residents age 5 and over speak Spanish at home, 36,895 a Chinese language, 24,221 Russian, Polish or another Slavic language, 14,422 Vietnamese and 12,283 Arabic. Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin, Arabic and Vietnamese are at our standard rate; Khmer is a limited-availability language, 25–30% over the base.
The Philadelphia Immigration Court is on Market Street and closes to the public at 3 p.m.
EOIR lists the Philadelphia Immigration Court in the Robert Nix Federal Building, 900 Market Street, Suite 504, with public hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The court arranges the interpreter for its hearings.
Attorneys book us for the work before a hearing: settling which language the respondent and each witness actually speak, preparing witnesses to testify through the court's interpreter, and reading declarations back. Many of those sessions can run by video at $80 an hour with no travel. See interpreters for immigration court hearings.
Languages spoken at home in Philadelphia
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, Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania. 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 | 161,231 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 36,895 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 36,076 |
| Russian, Polish, or other Slavic languages | 24,221 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 22,961 |
| Other and unspecified languages | 20,867 |
| French, Haitian, or Cajun | 19,874 |
| Vietnamese | 14,422 |
| Arabic | 12,283 |
Where interpreters are needed in Philadelphia, 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 |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia Immigration Court (EOIR), Robert Nix Federal Building, 900 Market Street, Suite 504 | The court provides the interpreter for the hearing. Attorneys book us to prepare the respondent and witnesses and to read declarations back. Public hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| USCIS interviews for Philadelphia-area applicants | USCIS uses Form G-1256 to record the presence of an interpreter that you have provided for an interview. Check the office address on the appointment notice. |
| First Judicial District of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia courts), Language Access Coordinator, 100 South Broad Street, Second Floor | Court interpreters at no cost for parties, victims and witnesses in any civil or criminal proceeding. Depositions and private meetings are arranged by the attorneys. |
| City of Philadelphia health centers (Department of Public Health) | Translation and interpretation are available for health center patients and their families. Patients there should not be paying for one. |
| City of Philadelphia departments (Language Access Philly) | Every City department must provide services in other languages when needed and requested, free to the resident. For City services, call 311 and ask for an interpreter. |
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 Philadelphia 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, Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Philadelphia Immigration Court
- USCIS — Form G-1256, Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview
- First Judicial District of Pennsylvania — Notice of Language Rights
- First Judicial District of Pennsylvania — Language Access Plan
- City of Philadelphia — City health centers
- City of Philadelphia — Language Access Philly
Frequently asked questions
Do Philadelphia courts provide a free interpreter?
Yes. The First Judicial District provides court interpreters at no cost to parties, victims, witnesses and certain other persons in any civil or criminal proceeding. Depositions are arranged by the attorneys.
Does the Philadelphia immigration court provide an interpreter?
Yes, for the hearing, at 900 Market Street, Suite 504. Preparation of the respondent and witnesses is arranged by the attorney.
How do I get an interpreter for City of Philadelphia services?
Call 311 and ask for an interpreter. Under Language Access Philly, City departments provide language services free of cost to the person seeking them.
What does an in-person interpreter cost in Philadelphia?
$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 30-mile round trip is $351. 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 Philadelphia?
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.