Colorado
Translation and interpreting services in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a military city: Fort Carson alone reports 89,630 soldiers, family members, civilians, and contractors, and 82% of its soldiers and families live off post. The city, its municipal court, the El Paso County courts, and District 11, whose families speak more than 52 languages, each run their own interpreter request process.
Who needs language services in Colorado Springs
- Colorado Springs Municipal Court
- The court provides interpreters for people who speak a language other than English or use American Sign Language; Spanish interpreters are on hand Monday through Thursday at 8:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., and other languages are booked through the court's Interpreter Request Form, court-interpreterrequest@coloradosprings.gov, or (719) 385-5923.[1]
- City language access
- The City of Colorado Springs provides foreign language and qualified sign language interpreters and document translation on request with no surcharge, and asks that requests reach the city no later than 48 hours before the scheduled event.[2]
- El Paso County courts
- The 4th Judicial District interpreter office, at the courthouse at 270 S. Tejon Street, takes interpreter requests for the state district and county courts at 04interpreter@judicial.state.co.us.[3]
- Colorado Springs School District 11
- D11's Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education program serves students and families who represent more than 52 languages.[4]
- Hospital interpreter services
- UCHealth, which operates Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs, provides about 75,000 interpretation sessions a month by phone, video, or in person at no cost to patients, and its phone system connects callers to interpreters in more than 240 languages.[5]
- Refugee resettlement
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains lists refugee and asylee services at its Colorado Springs office, and its refugee microenterprise program, run in Colorado Springs and Albuquerque, issued 10 credit-building loans and 18 small business loans in fiscal 2024-25.[7]
- Fort Carson
- Fort Carson reports 23,716 active-duty soldiers and 57,220 family members as of February 2026, is home to the 4th Infantry Division and the 10th Special Forces Group, and sends $37.2 million a year in federal impact aid to School District 8.[8]
Fort Carson by the numbers
The Army post on the city’s southern edge reports its population as of February 2026. Most of these families live off post, in Colorado Springs-area neighborhoods, schools, and clinics.[8]
- 23,716
- active-duty soldiers
- 57,220
- family members
- 89,630
- total Fort Carson population, including reserve members, civilians, and contractors
- 82%
- of soldiers and their families live off post
- $37.2M
- federal impact aid a year to School District 8
Languages spoken in Colorado Springs
11.9% of Colorado Springs residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by German and other West Germanic and Russian, Polish, and other Slavic.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 33,974 | 10,173 |
| German and other West Germanic | 3,463 | n/a |
| Other Indo-European languages | 3,330 | n/a |
| Russian, Polish, and other Slavic | 2,885 | 557 |
| Korean | 2,046 | 1,007 |
| Tagalog, including Filipino | 1,833 | 530 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 1,665 | 276 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Colorado Springs city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Colorado Springs by the numbers
- Residents
- 487,887
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 54,664 11.9%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 15,614 3.4%
- Limited-English households
- 3,303 1.6%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 37,119 7.6%
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 Colorado Springs
Municipal court hearings
On-site, phone, or video interpreters for languages other than Spanish, and ASL interpreters, booked through the court's request form ahead of the court date.
City meetings and services
Interpreters and translated documents for city programs and public meetings, delivered inside the city's 48-hour request window.
School conferences and IEP meetings
Qualified interpreters for D11 and neighboring districts' parent conferences and special education meetings across the region's 50-plus home languages.
Military family records
Certified translations with a signed statement of accuracy for birth and marriage certificates, school transcripts, and other records families bring from overseas assignments.
Hospital and clinic care
Medical interpreters on-site or by video for patient visits, consent discussions, and discharge instructions at Colorado Springs hospitals and clinics.
Our work in Colorado Springs
We have provided on-site interpreting and phone interpreting in Colorado Springs for:
- Law firms
- Court reporting firms
Where Colorado Springs 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.
- Mexico9,151
- Germany2,328
- Korea2,241
- Philippines1,968
- Guatemala1,348
- Canada1,260
- China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan1,240
- India986
Detailed languages in Colorado
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for states, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Colorado.
- Spanish635,821
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)26,417
- German23,021
- French (incl. Cajun)19,969
- Russian18,696
- Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages17,530
- Korean15,965
- Vietnamese15,961
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001, Colorado.
Colorado Springs questions
How do I get an interpreter at Colorado Springs Municipal Court?
Spanish speakers can come to court Monday through Thursday at 8:15 a.m. or 1:15 p.m., when Spanish interpreters are present. For any other language or ASL, submit the court's Interpreter Request Form with the court date and interpreter type, email court-interpreterrequest@coloradosprings.gov, or call (719) 385-5923.
How far ahead must I ask the City of Colorado Springs for an interpreter or translation?
Contact the Title VI Coordinator or the city department as soon as possible and no later than 48 hours before the event, by the Language Access Request Form, the GoCOS! app, TitleVICompliance@coloradosprings.gov, or 719-385-5175. The city does not add a surcharge.
Who provides interpreters in El Paso County state courts?
The 4th Judicial District interpreter office at 270 S. Tejon Street handles requests (04interpreter@judicial.state.co.us). Under Chief Justice Directive 06-03, Colorado state courts assign and pay for interpreters for all parties in interest and must use certified or credentialed interpreters when available.
How large is the military community around Colorado Springs?
Fort Carson's February 2026 fact sheet counts 23,716 active-duty soldiers, 57,220 family members, 1,832 reserve component members, 5,412 civilians, and 1,450 contractors, a total of 89,630, and reports that 82% of soldiers and their families live off post.
What languages are spoken in Colorado Springs?
11.9% of Colorado Springs residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by German and other West Germanic and Russian, Polish, and other Slavic. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, Germany, and Korea.
How many Colorado Springs households have limited English?
3,303 of 202,515 households (1.6%), 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 Colorado Springs?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Colorado Springs 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 Colorado Springs: Municipal Court Interpreter Services (opens in a new tab)
- City of Colorado Springs: Notice under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Judicial Branch: Managing & Staff Interpreter Contact Information (updated Apr. 9, 2026, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Springs School District 11: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (CLDE) (opens in a new tab)
- UCHealth Today (Oct. 13, 2025): Medical interpreters offer free help to overcome language barriers (opens in a new tab)
- UCHealth newsroom (Apr. 8, 2025): New technology to enhance interpreter access (opens in a new tab)
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains: Annual Report FY 2024-2025 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Army Garrison Fort Carson: Fact Sheet (as of February 2026, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023) (opens in a new tab)
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