Arkansas
Translation and interpreting services in North Little Rock
Interpreters and certified translators for North Little Rock agencies, courts, hospitals, schools, and employers, in Spanish, ASL, and 250+ languages, on-site, by phone, and by video.
Languages spoken in North Little Rock
6.7% of North Little Rock residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.7% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish is the most common.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 3,196 | 2,091 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for North Little Rock city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Language access rules in Arkansas
- Court interpreter program
- Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), Office of Court Interpreter Services (OCIS), which oversees interpreter certification, maintains the Registry of Certified and Registered Court Interpreters, and assigns interpreters and CART providers for in-court proceedings at no cost to the court.
- Court-certified languages
- OCIS certifies spoken-language interpreters who score at least 70% in each mode of the National Center for State Courts oral exam, and lists interpreters in languages with no NCSC exam as registered after they pass an English proficiency assessment; sign language interpreters must hold an Arkansas license under Ark. Code Ann. § 20-14-801 et seq. and RID or BEI credentials to be listed as Arkansas Court Qualified Sign Language Interpreters.
- The rule
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-1101 et seq. (Act 237 of 2013) entitles a party or witness with limited English proficiency, including deaf and hard of hearing people, to a qualified interpreter throughout a court proceeding, and § 16-10-1108 bars charging a criminal defendant for a court-appointed interpreter.
- Certified interpreters first
- The AOC directs that, under In re Certification for Foreign Language Interpreters in Arkansas Courts (1999), a court may appoint a non-certified foreign language interpreter only after finding that diligent, good-faith efforts to obtain a certified interpreter failed, and that children, relatives, and friends should never interpret in court.
- Who pays
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-1108 makes the local government that funds the court responsible for interpreter costs, except that a court using an interpreter from the AOC registry may submit those services to the AOC for payment from funds appropriated for that purpose, and no party or witness may be denied an interpreter for inability to pay.
- Public notice of interpreter services
- Ark. Code Ann. § 16-10-1103(d) requires court personnel to make reasonable efforts to inform the public about interpreter services and requires clerks of court to clearly publicize their availability.
- Licensed sign language interpreters
- Ark. Code Ann. § 20-14-808, enacted by Act 1314 of 2013, makes it unlawful to use the title licensed qualified interpreter or to hold oneself out as an interpreter between hearing and deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or oral deaf individuals without a Department of Health license, with exceptions such as religious services.
- Registry open to other agencies
- Interpreters on the AOC registry may be contracted directly by attorneys, law enforcement officers, jail officials, other state agency employees, social workers, and mental health workers.
- Interpreter license oversight
- Act 1314 created a seven-member Advisory Board for Interpreters within the Arkansas Department of Health; on the board's recommendation the Department of Health director issues one-year licenses to licensed qualified interpreters and licensed provisional (deaf) interpreters, and holding oneself out as a licensed qualified interpreter without a license carries a fine of $100 to $500.
Sources
- Arkansas Judiciary: Requirements for Court Interpreters in Arkansas
- Arkansas Judiciary: Registry of Court Interpreters & Arkansas Certification Roster
- Arkansas Judiciary: Arkansas Interpreter Statutes, Ark. Code Ann. §§ 16-10-1101 to -1108 (2013 compilation)
- Arkansas State Legislature: HB1325 (2013), enacted as Act 237
- Arkansas AOC: Working with the Limited English Proficient (LEP) Community, A Guide for Court Personnel (April 2017)
- Arkansas Department of Health: Act 1314 of 2013 (SB442), Licensed Qualified Interpreters
- Arkansas Judiciary: Court Interpreter Services
North Little Rock by the numbers
- Residents
- 64,538
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 4,052 6.7%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 2,238 3.7%
- Limited-English households
- 630 2%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 2,683 4.2%
Where North Little Rock residents born abroad come from
Countries of birth point to the languages behind the Census groups above, and to the documents (birth certificates, diplomas, court records) that arrive for translation.
- Mexico985
Detailed languages in Arkansas
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for states, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Arkansas.
- Spanish176,128
- Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or other Austronesian languages7,831
- Vietnamese4,826
- Thai, Lao, or other Tai-Kadai languages4,420
- German4,305
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)4,192
- Tagalog (incl. Filipino)3,860
- French (incl. Cajun)3,697
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B16001, Arkansas.
Language services in North Little Rock
North Little Rock questions
What languages are spoken in North Little Rock?
6.7% of North Little Rock residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.7% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish is the most common. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico.
How many North Little Rock households have limited English?
630 of 31,956 households (2%), according to the Census Bureau: households in which no one age 14 or older speaks only English or speaks English “very well.” These are the households most likely to need an interpreter or translated documents.
How are court interpreters credentialed in Arkansas?
Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), Office of Court Interpreter Services (OCIS), which oversees interpreter certification, maintains the Registry of Certified and Registered Court Interpreters, and assigns interpreters and CART providers for in-court proceedings at no cost to the court. OCIS certifies spoken-language interpreters who score at least 70% in each mode of the National Center for State Courts oral exam, and lists interpreters in languages with no NCSC exam as registered after they pass an English proficiency assessment; sign language interpreters must hold an Arkansas license under Ark. Code Ann. § 20-14-801 et seq. and RID or BEI credentials to be listed as Arkansas Court Qualified Sign Language Interpreters.
Do you provide on-site interpreters in North Little Rock?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in North Little Rock and across Arkansas, and by phone and video nationwide, in 250+ languages including Spanish and ASL. Book less common languages as early as you can.
Do you provide conference and meeting interpreters in North Little Rock?
Yes. We staff conferences, conventions, trade shows, seminars, corporate training, and client meetings in North Little Rock with simultaneous or consecutive interpreters. For simultaneous interpreting, our own technicians deliver, run, and strike the booths, transmitters, and receivers, shipped from our own inventory.
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Send your files or describe your event. A language specialist replies with a fixed quote and a delivery date, with no obligation.
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