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Interpreters in Sacramento, CA
Yes: we book interpreters in Sacramento 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, confirmed before you pay. California courts provide court interpreters free of charge, but the Judicial Council says they cannot typically work outside the courtroom, and the Sacramento Immigration Court at 650 Capitol Mall interprets its own hearings. Private bookings here are for depositions, attorney meetings, USCIS interviews and the meetings a school or hospital does not cover.
In person in Sacramento
$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.
Sacramento's school district interprets in eight languages, and three of them are limited-availability languages for us
Of 498,462 Sacramento residents aged five and over, 317,165 (64%) speak only English at home and 82,279 speak Spanish, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 five-year estimate (ACS C16001). The next two groups are ones the table does not name: 28,527 speakers of "Other Indo-European languages" and 25,412 of "Other Asian and Pacific Island languages". Chinese has 15,846 speakers, of whom 9,643 (61%) say they speak English less than “very well”; Tagalog has 8,362, Vietnamese 6,971 and Russian, Polish or other Slavic languages 6,217.
Sacramento City Unified names the languages its Matriculation & Orientation Center works in: Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Farsi, Pashto, Dari, Russian and Vietnamese. Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Farsi, Russian and Vietnamese are standard-rate languages for us. Hmong, Pashto and Dari carry the 25–30% limited-availability rate: $100–$104 an hour by video and $137.50–$143 in person. Those rates apply to an interpreter that a family or its lawyer brings to a meeting such as an IEP meeting.
Sacramento's immigration court and its USCIS field office list the same Capitol Mall address
EOIR's administrative control list gives the Sacramento Immigration Court's address as the John Moss Federal Building, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-200, Sacramento, CA 95814. USCIS's office locator, searched with ZIP 95814, gives the Sacramento Field Office as 650 Capitol Mall. Two different interpreter rules apply at one street address.
At the court, the interpreter is the court's: interpreters are provided at government expense for removal proceedings, the request should come no later than 30 days before the hearing, and the court uses staff, contract and telephone interpreters (ICPM 3.10). At the USCIS office, a green card applicant brings the interpreter, who presents a government-issued ID and completes an oath and privacy release (Policy Manual vol. 7, part A, ch. 5). A two-hour USCIS interview with a 30-mile round trip is $241 (2 × $110 plus 30 miles × $0.70). A preparation call before a hearing is $80 an hour by video, with no trip downtown. See interpreters for immigration court hearings.
Sacramento Superior Court interprets in the courtroom; a deposition is a private booking
The Judicial Council's guide says court interpreters are provided free of charge, that you must ask in advance, as soon as you learn you must go to court, that court interpreters cannot typically provide services outside the courtroom, and that some courts have interpreters in their self-help centers (California Courts). It sends people to their own court's language access page for the steps, which differ from court to court.
Outside the courtroom is where lawyers book us. California's Court Reporters Board says depositions are court proceedings and that Government Code 68561 requires the interpreter present to be court certified, stating their certification number on the record. If a Sacramento deposition needs one, say so when you request, and we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. A five-hour deposition in a downtown office with a 50-mile round trip is $585 (5 × $110 plus 50 miles × $0.70). See interpreters for depositions.
Languages spoken at home in Sacramento
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, Sacramento city, California. 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 | 82,279 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 28,527 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 25,412 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 15,846 |
| Tagalog (incl. Filipino) | 8,362 |
| Vietnamese | 6,971 |
| Russian, Polish, or other Slavic languages | 6,217 |
| Other and unspecified languages | 2,362 |
| Arabic | 1,673 |
| German or other West Germanic languages | 1,474 |
Where interpreters are needed in Sacramento, 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 |
|---|---|
| Sacramento Immigration Court (EOIR), John Moss Federal Building, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-200 | The court provides the interpreter for the hearing, at government expense, if the request comes 30 days ahead (ICPM 3.10). Attorneys book us to prepare the respondent and witnesses and to read declarations back. |
| USCIS Sacramento Field Office, 650 Capitol Mall | For a green card interview the applicant brings the interpreter, who shows a government-issued ID, takes an oath and interprets word for word; the officer can disqualify one who is not competent (USCIS Policy Manual). |
| Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento | The Judicial Council says court interpreters are free, must be requested in advance and cannot typically work outside the courtroom; the steps and deadline are on the court's own language access page. Depositions are arranged by the attorneys. |
| UC Davis Health, 4301 X Street: Interpreting and Translation Services | Language assistance at no cost to patients whose primary language is not English, including interpreting in over 200 languages and American Sign Language; requests go to 916-734-2321. A patient there should not be paying for one. |
| Sacramento City Unified School District, Matriculation & Orientation Center | The district's Assessor-Translators provide verbal interpretation for IEP and SST meetings, community meetings and student hearings in Spanish, Hmong, Chinese, Farsi, Pashto, Dari, Russian and Vietnamese. After regular hours the school or department contacts a listed interpreter itself and pays, with a two-hour minimum. |
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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.
Interpreters by language in Sacramento
- Spanish interpreters in Sacramento
- Mandarin interpreters in Sacramento
- Cantonese interpreters in Sacramento
- Tagalog interpreters in Sacramento
- Vietnamese interpreters in Sacramento
- Russian interpreters in Sacramento
- Polish interpreters in Sacramento
- Arabic interpreters in Sacramento
- German interpreters in Sacramento
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 Sacramento was checked against these sources on November 3, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 5-year, table C16001, Sacramento city, California
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Immigration Court Administrative Control List
- EOIR — Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 3.10, Interpreters
- USCIS — Find a USCIS Office (field office locator, ZIP 95814)
- USCIS Policy Manual — Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5, Interview Guidelines
- Judicial Council of California — Ask for an interpreter (Self Help Guide)
- Court Reporters Board of California — Best Practice Pointer No. 14, Interpreted Depositions (rev. 3/2025)
- Sacramento City Unified School District — Matriculation and Orientation Center (MOC)
- UC Davis Health — Interpreting and Translation Services
- UC Davis Health — Your Rights and Responsibilities
Frequently asked questions
Does the Sacramento immigration court provide an interpreter?
Yes, for the hearing, at government expense; the request should be made no later than 30 days before the hearing (ICPM 3.10). The court is in the John Moss Federal Building, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 4-200. Preparation with your attorney is not covered.
Are court interpreters free at Sacramento Superior Court?
The Judicial Council says court interpreters are provided free of charge in California and must be requested in advance; the court's own language access page lists the steps (California Courts). They cannot typically provide services outside the courtroom.
Does UC Davis Health charge for an interpreter?
No. UC Davis Health lists language assistance, including oral interpretation, at no cost to patients whose primary language is not English; call Interpreting and Translation Services at 916-734-2321 (patient rights).
Do I need a court-certified interpreter for a deposition in Sacramento?
California's Court Reporters Board treats depositions as court proceedings under Government Code 68561, which requires a court-certified interpreter who states their certification number on the record (CRB). Tell us when you request and we confirm whether we can staff it.
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 Sacramento?
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.