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Interpreters in San Francisco, CA
Yes: we book interpreters in San Francisco in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile of travel) or by video at $80 an hour. San Francisco Superior Court provides interpreters at no cost in mandated case types and several civil ones, and says that if it cannot provide one you may bring your own certified, registered or qualified interpreter; immigration cases from the San Francisco DHS district are heard at the Concord Immigration Court, which interprets its own hearings.
In person in San Francisco
$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.
San Francisco Superior Court lets you bring your own interpreter when it cannot provide one
The court's Interpreter Division, at 850 Bryant St., assigns qualified interpreters at no cost in all mandated case types: criminal, traffic, juvenile delinquency and dependency, child support and mental health. It has also expanded free interpreters to family law domestic violence, elder abuse, civil harassment, unlawful detainer, parental-rights, custody and visitation, and conservatorship and guardianship cases. Requests go to InterpreterRequests@sftc.org at least two business days ahead for Spanish and five for other languages.
The page also says that if the court cannot provide an interpreter, you may bring in your own certified, registered or qualified interpreter. That is the San Francisco case where a party books us for the courtroom; tell us the credential the court requires when you request, and we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. Depositions, mediations and attorney meetings are arranged by the parties as anywhere else. A three-hour deposition in person is $330, plus $0.70 a mile of travel.
Immigration cases from San Francisco are heard in Concord
EOIR's court listing has no San Francisco immigration court, and the old San Francisco court page returns "Page not found". The administrative control list places the San Francisco DHS district office under the Concord Immigration Court, 1855 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 850. Check the hearing notice for the court and the address.
Concord provides the interpreter for the hearing. What San Francisco attorneys book is the work before it: settling the respondent's language, preparing witnesses and reading declarations back. Most of that can run by video at $80 an hour, which saves the travel to Concord. See interpreters for immigration court hearings.
More San Franciscans speak Chinese at home than Spanish
The Census counts 139,427 San Francisco residents age 5 and over who speak a Chinese language at home and 88,530 who speak Spanish; Tagalog or Filipino follows with 22,148. The table does not separate Cantonese from Mandarin, and in a deposition or a hearing that difference is the whole question. Name the spoken language, not "Chinese", when you request.
SFUSD lists translation in Arabic, Chinese, Filipino (Tagalog), Samoan, Spanish and Vietnamese. Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese are at our standard rate; a limited-availability language such as Samoan adds 25–30%.
Languages spoken at home in San Francisco
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, San Francisco 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 |
|---|---|
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 139,427 |
| Spanish | 88,530 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 25,295 |
| Tagalog (incl. Filipino) | 22,148 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 17,522 |
| Russian, Polish, or other Slavic languages | 13,426 |
| Vietnamese | 10,293 |
| French, Haitian, or Cajun | 9,973 |
| Korean | 7,466 |
Where interpreters are needed in San Francisco, 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 |
|---|---|
| Concord Immigration Court (EOIR), 1855 Gateway Boulevard, Suite 850, Concord | EOIR's administrative control list places the San Francisco DHS district under this court. It provides the interpreter for the hearing; attorneys book us for preparation. |
| USCIS interviews for San Francisco-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. |
| San Francisco Superior Court, Interpreter Division, 850 Bryant St. | Interpreters at no cost in mandated case types (criminal, traffic, juvenile, child support, mental health) and in several civil ones. If the court cannot provide one, you may bring your own certified, registered or qualified interpreter. |
| San Francisco Unified School District, Translation and Interpretation | Families request interpretation through the school or the district's forms; school-wide events get interpretation where 15% or more of students share a language. |
| Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Interpreter Services | Interpreters at no cost, 24/7; ask a doctor, nurse or staff member to call one. 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 San Francisco 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, San Francisco city, California
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Find an Immigration Court and Access Internet-Based Hearings
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Concord Immigration Court
- Executive Office for Immigration Review — Immigration Court Administrative Control List
- USCIS — Form G-1256, Declaration for Interpreted USCIS Interview
- Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco — Interpreter Division
- San Francisco Unified School District — Translation and Interpretation Services for Families
- Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center — Interpreter Services
Frequently asked questions
Is there still an immigration court in San Francisco?
EOIR's current court listing has no San Francisco court, and its administrative control list places the San Francisco DHS district under the Concord Immigration Court, 1855 Gateway Boulevard. Check your hearing notice.
Does San Francisco Superior Court provide a free interpreter?
Yes in mandated case types (criminal, traffic, juvenile, child support, mental health) and in several civil types, including domestic violence, elder abuse, unlawful detainer and guardianship. If it cannot provide one, you may bring your own certified, registered or qualified interpreter.
Do I need to bring an interpreter to San Francisco General?
No. Zuckerberg San Francisco General offers interpreters at no cost, 24/7; ask a doctor, nurse or staff member to call one.
What does an in-person interpreter cost in San Francisco?
$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 20-mile round trip is $344. 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 San Francisco?
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.