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Interpreters in Washington, DC
Yes: we book interpreters in Washington, DC 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. The DC Courts give a free interpreter to anyone who needs one at a hearing, and DC government agencies must provide interpretation under the Language Access Act of 2004; the District has no immigration court of its own, and USCIS interviews for District residents are held in Fairfax, Virginia, where you bring your own interpreter.
In person in Washington
$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.
DC courts and DC agencies must provide the interpreter; private business does not
The DC Courts say plainly that if you have trouble understanding or speaking English the court will give you an interpreter for free, at your hearing or when you use court services, and you can request one for yourself or a witness, online or through the clerk's office of the division where the case is. The court also translates court orders and papers it issues, for free. What it does not do is translate documents you want to file: those must be filed in English (DC Courts). That is a written certified translation, not interpreting.
District agencies are covered by the Language Access Act of 2004, which applies to every agency, department, program, contractor and grantee that interacts with the public and requires interpretation for people with limited or no English. So in the District you should not be paying for an interpreter at the DC Courts, at a DC agency or at a DCPS meeting. Who books us: law firms for depositions and client meetings, businesses and private parties, which the Act does not cover, and families for USCIS interviews in Fairfax.
No immigration court sits in the District
EOIR's state-based directory of immigration courts has no entry for the District of Columbia (EOIR). EOIR's courts just outside it include Annandale and Sterling, Virginia, and Hyattsville, Maryland; the hearing notice says which court hears a case. At each, the court provides the interpreter for the hearing at government expense, and the request should be made no later than 30 days before it (ICPM 3.10).
Preparation is the attorney's to arrange. An interpreter for a client meeting in the District, followed by a hearing in Annandale, is two bookings with their own travel. A video call avoids the travel altogether: $80 an hour with a one-hour minimum.
After Spanish, DC's largest language groups are Amharic and related languages, then French
Of 662,752 District residents aged five and over, 521,800 speak only English at home and 61,754 speak Spanish, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimate (ACS B16001). Second is the Census group for Amharic, Somali and other Afro-Asiatic languages (14,706), then French (11,931) and Chinese (7,561). DCPS says its families communicate in over 140 languages (DCPS).
Spanish, French, Somali and Mandarin are standard-rate: a two-hour meeting in person is $220, and with a 20-mile round trip at $0.70 a mile, $234. Amharic and Tigrinya carry the limited-availability surcharge of 25–30%: the same two hours in person is $275 to $286 before travel.
Languages spoken at home in Washington
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), Washington city, District of Columbia. 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 | 61,754 |
| Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages | 14,706 |
| French (incl. Cajun) | 11,931 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 7,561 |
| Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or other languages of Western Africa | 4,037 |
| German | 3,303 |
| Vietnamese | 2,868 |
| Russian | 2,673 |
| Arabic | 2,612 |
Where interpreters are needed in Washington, 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 |
|---|---|
| DC Courts, Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW | Free interpreters at hearings and when using court services, for a party or a witness, and free translations of court papers the court issues; request online or through the clerk's office. Depositions are arranged by the attorneys. |
| Immigration courts just outside the District: Annandale (7619 Little River Turnpike) and Sterling (21400 Ridgetop Circle), Virginia; Hyattsville (3311 Toledo Road), Maryland | There is no immigration court in the District. At each of these the court provides the interpreter for the hearing, at government expense (ICPM 3.10). |
| USCIS Washington Field Office, 2675 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, Virginia | USCIS's locator sends District ZIP codes here. USCIS does not supply one for a green card interview: an applicant who needs an interpreter brings one, who shows ID and takes an oath. |
| DC Public Schools Language Access Unit | Contract and staff interpreters for face-to-face meetings with families, and telephone interpretation in over 240 languages whenever a family contacts any DCPS staff member. |
| DC government agencies (Language Access Act of 2004) | Every District agency, contractor and grantee that deals with the public must provide interpretation to people with limited English; the Office of Human Rights oversees it. The Act does not cover ASL. |
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 Washington 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, Washington city, DC (read from the table-based summary file, acsdt1y2024-b16001.dat)
- EOIR — Immigration court listing (state-based directory)
- EOIR — Annandale Immigration Court
- EOIR — Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 3.10, Interpreters
- USCIS — Field Office Locator (Washington Field Office, Fairfax)
- USCIS Policy Manual — Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5, Interview Guidelines
- DC Courts — Interpreting services
- DC Public Schools — Language Access for Families
- DC Office of Human Rights — Language Access: General Public Resources
Frequently asked questions
Is there an immigration court in Washington, DC?
No. EOIR lists no immigration court in the District; courts just outside it include Annandale and Sterling, Virginia, and Hyattsville, Maryland (EOIR). Each provides the interpreter for the hearing.
Do the DC Courts provide an interpreter for free?
Yes, for anyone who has trouble understanding or speaking English, at hearings and when using court services, for a party or a witness. Request one online or through the clerk's office, and ask early (DC Courts).
Where is the USCIS office for Washington, DC?
USCIS's locator sends District ZIP codes to the Washington Field Office at 2675 Prosperity Avenue, Fairfax, Virginia (USCIS). For a green card interview you bring the interpreter (USCIS Policy Manual).
Do DC government agencies have to provide interpreters?
Yes. The Language Access Act of 2004 requires every District agency, contractor and grantee that deals with the public to provide interpretation to people with limited English (DC Office of Human Rights).
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 Washington?
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.