The Maryland Judiciary provides court services to many people, including those who are Limited English Proficient (LEP). Court interpreters are provided for litigants and witnesses in civil, criminal, and juvenile proceedings and are paid for by the Administrative Office of the Courts. To request a spoken language interpreter for a court appearance, please submit a Request for Spoken Language Interpreter (Form CC-DC41) to the court in which the case will be heard. The request should be submitted to the court not less than thirty (30) days before the proceeding in which the interpreter is requested.

For additional information, please contact the clerk at the court location where your case will be heard.

Judiciary Web Pages in Foreign Languages

A growing amount of content on the Maryland Judiciary’s web site is now available in languages other than English. The non-English pages provide forms, brochures, and other helpful information about the Maryland Courts. The materials are available in Spanish, French, Russian, Korean and Chinese. To explore the multi-lingual web pages:

• Español
• français
• русский
• 한국어
• 中文

Interpreters for Court-Related Events

To ensure meaningful access to the Maryland Courts, individuals may need the assistance of an interpreter in settings other than the courtroom. For this reason, Maryland Courts are authorized to assign court interpreters for any of the following court-ordered and court-offered services.

If you need language assistance when communicating with court staff

The Maryland Judiciary is also responsible for taking reasonable steps to ensure that Limited English Proficient individuals have meaningful access to services outside the courtroom. These points of service include the commissioner’s office, the clerk’s office, self-help center, and the court’s public counters. To facilitate communication between LEP individuals and court staff, the Maryland Judiciary is pleased to offer telephonic interpretation services provided by Language Line. If you need the assistance of a spoken language interpreter while communicating with court staff in-person or over the phone, follow these steps:

• Say the name of the language you speak or point to your language on the Maryland Judiciary Language Card or Language Line Poster available at the counter.
• Once you identify the language, the court employee will make arrangements for a telephonic interpreter to assist you.
• Once you are connected with an interpreter, speak with the court employee directly. Speak slowly and pause to allow the interpreter to interpret your questions.

Brochures translated into foreign languages

The Court Interpreter Program created the following brochures to assist LEP individuals and their representatives:

• Do You Need a Court Interpreter?(CC-DC 80BR)    [Español]
• How to Work Effectively with Interpreters (CC-DC 81BR)