Colorado
Translation and interpreting services in Aurora
The City of Aurora calls itself Colorado's most international city: about 70,000 of its 366,000 residents were born outside the U.S., they come from 140 nations, and children speak more than 150 languages in its public schools. City departments, courts, school districts, and the Anschutz Medical Campus hospitals all run formal language-access programs here.
Aurora’s ten official language-access languages
The City of Aurora ranks the ten languages its residents most need help in. City documents are translated into the top five; public safety, emergency, and health documents go into all ten.[2]
Top 5: city documentsAll 10: public safety, emergency, and health documents
Who needs language services in Aurora
- City Language Access Plan
- Aurora's Language Access Plan (Business Policy Memorandum 4-27, effective November 8, 2021), managed by the Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, commits the city to free language assistance in its top 10 languages: Spanish, Korean, Chinese (Mandarin), Vietnamese, Amharic, Tigrinya, Nepalese, Burmese, Russian, and French.[2]
- City translation priorities
- Under the plan, the city prioritizes translation of documents into the top five languages and translates public safety, emergency, and health and safety documents into all top 10, and staff must request interpreters three days before services are needed.[2]
- Office of International and Immigrant Affairs
- The office leads Aurora's citywide immigrant and refugee integration plan, coordinates the Aurora Immigrant and Refugee Commission, and compiled the Language Access Plan as a resource for city departments, staff, elected officials, and contracted vendors.[3]
- Aurora Municipal Court
- The court has Spanish interpreters available daily, while interpreters for all other languages must be requested by motion at least 14 days before the proceeding.[1]
- Aurora Public Schools
- APS enrolls more than 38,000 students from more than 130 countries who speak more than 160 languages; 42.0% are second language learners, 77.8% of whom speak Spanish.[5]
- Cherry Creek School District
- Cherry Creek enrolls about 52,000 students who speak more than 150 languages, and its Office of Interpretation and Translation Services handles communication with non-English-speaking families.[6]
- Cherry Creek DOJ agreement
- A 2024 settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice under the Equal Educational Opportunities Act requires Cherry Creek to provide interpreters in parents' preferred language at enrollment and discipline meetings and bars the use of students, family, friends, or unverified automated tools such as Google Translate except in emergencies.[8]
- Hospital interpreter services
- UCHealth, which runs University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus, provides about 75,000 interpretation sessions a month by phone, video, or in person at no cost to patients, and Children's Hospital Colorado offers free language assistance at 720-777-1234.[9]
Languages spoken in Aurora
33.1% of Aurora residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 15.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Russian, Polish, and other Slavic and French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 77,513 | 37,076 |
| Other languages | 13,189 | 6,237 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 6,231 | 2,974 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 4,664 | 2,154 |
| Russian, Polish, and other Slavic | 3,990 | 1,931 |
| French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun | 3,761 | 1,667 |
| Vietnamese | 3,203 | 1,907 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Aurora city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Our work in Aurora
We have provided on-site interpreting and video interpreting in Aurora for:
- County human services agencies
- Municipal courts
Aurora by the numbers
- Residents
- 394,432
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 122,169 33.1%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 58,082 15.8%
- Limited-English households
- 11,095 7.6%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 88,226 22.4%
Detailed languages in Arapahoe County, Colorado
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for counties, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Arapahoe County, Colorado.
- Spanish78,325
- Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages10,620
- Korean6,202
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)5,279
- Russian5,274
- Arabic4,483
- Hindi2,316
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001, Arapahoe County, Colorado.
Language access rules in Colorado
- Court interpreter program
- Colorado Judicial Department, Office of Language Access (OLA), which oversees and pays for interpreters in the state courts (each judicial district’s managing interpreter schedules them) and maintains the rosters of authorized interpreters.
- Court-certified languages
- OLA offers certification in 18 languages: Spanish, Arabic, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Turkish, and Vietnamese (OLA's December 2024 pay schedule also lists Marshallese as certifiable). Interpreters in all other languages can become credentialed; below those tiers sit qualified, conditionally approved, and registered interpreters.
- The rule
- Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023) requires Colorado state courts to assign and pay for interpreters for all parties in interest during or ancillary to a court proceeding, citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 13166, and to use certified or credentialed interpreters when available, with registered interpreters only as a last resort; C.R.S. 13-90-204 separately requires a qualified auxiliary services provider for deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind parties, witnesses, and jurors.
- Court interpreter standards
- Under Chief Justice Directive 06-03, absent exigent circumstances the court assigns two or more interpreters for proceedings scheduled to last two hours or longer, and courts with five or more certified or credentialed interpreters in a language residing within 25 miles must use them for every proceeding in that language.
- Child welfare language access (HB24-1031)
- Since August 7, 2024, county departments of human or social services, cities and counties, and their private contractors must take reasonable steps to provide timely, meaningful language access in a person's primary language, and courts must provide translation and interpretation in dependency and neglect cases to any party who requests it or has limited English proficiency.
- Statewide language access assessment (HB25-1153)
- Signed May 30, 2025, HB25-1153 directs the Department of Personnel, with the Office of New Americans, to assess whether principal state departments are ready to meet the standards of the state's language access universal policy, with a report due by December 31, 2026.
- Digital accessibility (HB21-1110)
- As enacted, HB21-1110 required state agencies to submit accessibility plans to the Office of Information Technology by July 1, 2022 and fully implement them by July 1, 2024, and treats an agency not in full compliance as violating Colorado's disability discrimination law.
- Sign language interpreter titles
- HB19-1069 (2019) added "translator" and "certified translator" for sign language to the titles a Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf-certified person may use, and authorized the Colorado Commission for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and DeafBlind to approve other certifications for those titles.
- Refugee program
- Under legislation signed June 1, 2023, the Colorado Refugee Services Program, the state refugee office whose primary funding comes from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, moved from the Department of Human Services to the Office of New Americans in the Department of Labor and Employment effective October 1, 2024.
Sources
- Colorado Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023)
- Colorado Judicial Branch: Frequently Asked Questions – Interpreters
- Colorado OLA: Certified and Credentialed Independent Contractor Interpreter Pay Rates (rev. Dec. 16, 2024)
- Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 13 (Office of Legislative Legal Services, uncertified printout), including C.R.S. 13-90-204, Appointment of auxiliary services providers
- Colorado General Assembly: HB24-1031, Accessibility for Persons in Child Welfare Matters
- Colorado General Assembly: HB25-1153, Statewide Government Language Access Assessment
- Colorado General Assembly: HB21-1110, CO Laws for Persons with Disabilities
- Colorado General Assembly: HB19-1069, Sign Language Interpreters Title Certification
- Colorado Department of Human Services bulletin: State Refugee Office moves to the Office of New Americans
Language services in Aurora
Municipal court hearings
On-site, phone, or video interpreters in languages other than Spanish for Aurora Municipal Court proceedings, scheduled to meet the court's 14-day request window.
City meetings and notices
Interpretation at city council and community meetings, and certified translation of city notices into Aurora's top 10 languages, including public safety and health documents.
School enrollment and discipline meetings
Qualified interpreters for Aurora Public Schools and Cherry Creek family meetings, so districts do not rely on students or machine translation.
Anschutz Medical Campus care
Certified medical interpreters on-site or by video for patient visits, consent discussions, and discharge instructions, in Spanish and in languages such as Amharic, Tigrinya, and Nepali.
Vital document translation
Translation of forms, letters, and web content for Aurora agencies and their contracted vendors, delivered with a signed statement of accuracy.
Where Aurora 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.
- Mexico33,022
- Ethiopia5,663
- Venezuela2,644
- Vietnam2,377
- Honduras2,141
- El Salvador2,084
- Korea1,980
- India1,943
Aurora questions
How do I get an interpreter at Aurora Municipal Court?
Spanish interpreters are available at the court every day with no special request. For any other language, file a motion requesting an interpreter at least 14 days before the proceeding.
Which languages does the City of Aurora translate into?
The city's Language Access Plan designates 10 languages: Spanish, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic, Tigrinya, Nepalese, Burmese, Russian, and French. General documents are prioritized for the top five; public safety, emergency, and health and safety documents go into all 10.
What must Aurora-area schools provide to parents with limited English?
Under its 2024 agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, Cherry Creek School District must provide an interpreter in the parent's preferred language at any meeting where essential information is discussed, including enrollment and discipline, and may not use students, family, friends, or unverified automated tools except in emergencies involving life, health, or safety.
Who pays for interpreters in Colorado state court cases?
Colorado state courts assign and pay for interpreters for all parties in interest under Chief Justice Directive 06-03 and must use certified or credentialed interpreters when available. Aurora Municipal Court, a city court, follows its own request process.
What languages are spoken in Aurora?
33.1% of Aurora residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 15.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Russian, Polish, and other Slavic and French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, Ethiopia, and Venezuela.
How many Aurora households have limited English?
11,095 of 145,310 households (7.6%), 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 Colorado?
Colorado Judicial Department, Office of Language Access (OLA), which oversees and pays for interpreters in the state courts (each judicial district’s managing interpreter schedules them) and maintains the rosters of authorized interpreters. OLA offers certification in 18 languages: Spanish, Arabic, Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Tagalog, Turkish, and Vietnamese (OLA's December 2024 pay schedule also lists Marshallese as certifiable). Interpreters in all other languages can become credentialed; below those tiers sit qualified, conditionally approved, and registered interpreters.
Do you provide on-site interpreters in Aurora?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Aurora and across Colorado, and by phone and video nationwide, in 250+ languages including Spanish and ASL. Book less common languages as early as you can.
Sources
- City of Aurora: Municipal Court Interpreter Services (opens in a new tab)
- City of Aurora Language Access Plan, Business Policy Memorandum 4-27 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Aurora: Office of International and Immigrant Affairs (opens in a new tab)
- City of Aurora: Language Access Plan page (opens in a new tab)
- Aurora Public Schools: Demographics (opens in a new tab)
- Cherry Creek School District: Facts & Figures (opens in a new tab)
- Cherry Creek School District: Language Supports and Services (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Colorado: Settlement Agreement with Cherry Creek School District No. 5 (opens in a new tab)
- UCHealth Today (Oct. 13, 2025): Medical interpreters offer free help to overcome language barriers (opens in a new tab)
- Children's Hospital Colorado: Language assistance notice (opens in a new tab)
- UCHealth newsroom (Apr. 8, 2025): New technology to enhance interpreter access (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023) (opens in a new tab)
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