Colorado
Translation and interpreting services in Denver
Denver sets its language-access rules by executive order: every city agency under the mayor must translate vital documents into the city's top LEP languages, keep a phone interpretation service covering at least 100 languages, and confirm its interpreters' training and quality control in writing. Denver County Court, Denver Public Schools, and Denver Health each run their own interpreter programs on top of that.
Denver’s language-access rules in five numbers
Executive Order 150 and Memorandum 150A, signed December 22, 2022, set the rules every city agency under the mayor follows, whether or not it receives federal funds.[1]
- 12
- languages every citywide vital document must be translated into
- 100+
- languages each agency’s phone interpretation service must cover
- 6
- more languages that get a free-interpretation notice: Korean, Urdu, Haitian, Khmer, Armenian, and Swahili
- 7
- vendor standards agencies confirm in writing, from local knowledge to second and third review
- Under 18
- family members or friends barred as interpreters unless the resident asks or no one else is available
Who needs language services in Denver
- Executive Order 150
- Signed December 22, 2022, Executive Order 150 creates Denver's citywide Language Access Program and applies to every agency under the mayor that provides public-facing services, whether or not it receives federal funds; its Memorandum 150A requires vital documents to be translated into all top 12 Denver LEP languages.[1]
- Vendor standards and phone interpretation
- Memorandum 150A requires every city agency to keep an account with a telephone interpretation vendor covering at least 100 languages, and to confirm in writing that its interpreters and translators know the Denver metro area's language populations, are trained, and work under quality controls that include second and third review.[1]
- Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs
- The Denver Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs runs the Language Access Program, city agencies must provide language services free of charge, and agency staff may not use family members or friends under 18 as interpreters unless the resident asks or no other help is available in an urgent situation.[1]
- Denver County Court
- Denver County Court has multiple Spanish interpreters available daily, provides interpreters in more than 140 spoken languages for defendants, plaintiffs, witnesses, and victims, and asks that requests be made through its online form at least five days before the hearing.[3]
- Denver Public Schools consent decree
- Under the DPS consent decree enforced by the U.S. Department of Justice, the district must communicate with parents in a language they understand through a qualified translator or interpreter, may not use students, siblings, friends, or untrained staff, and must translate or interpret registration forms, report cards, handbooks, discipline notices, and special education documents.[6]
- Denver Public Schools languages
- DPS serves more than 35,000 multilingual learners whose home languages span more than 200 languages; for 2024-25 its eight most common family languages are Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Amharic, French, Somali, Nepali, and Dari.[7]
- Denver Health
- Denver Health provides qualified medical interpreters 24 hours a day at no cost, in more than 200 languages including American Sign Language, by phone, telehealth, video, or on-site.[8]
- Refugee resettlement
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains lists refugee and asylee services at its Denver office and served 5,973 refugee and asylee clients across its region in fiscal 2024-25; the International Rescue Committee in Denver has served clients since 2016, though its reception and placement services are currently suspended by the federal government.[9]
Languages spoken in Denver
23.9% of Denver residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 8.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun and Russian, Polish, and other Slavic.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 113,413 | 41,436 |
| Other languages | 10,025 | 3,047 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 7,882 | 2,094 |
| French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun | 5,132 | 1,353 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 4,978 | 2,022 |
| Russian, Polish, and other Slavic | 4,532 | 1,713 |
| Vietnamese | 4,472 | 2,490 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Denver city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Our work in Denver
We have provided on-site interpreting, phone interpreting, and video interpreting in Denver for:
- County human services agencies
- Eye care practices
- Behavioral health providers
- School districts and universities
- Law firms
- Disability service providers
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
Denver by the numbers
- Residents
- 718,877
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 162,432 23.9%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 57,134 8.4%
- Limited-English households
- 10,814 3.2%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 104,034 14.5%
Language services in Denver
City vital documents
Certified translation of applications, notices, rejection letters, and appeal instructions into Denver's citywide languages, with the free-interpretation access statement added for the remaining languages.
Denver County Court hearings
On-site, phone, or video interpreters for languages beyond Spanish, scheduled to meet the court's five-day request window.
School meetings and documents
Qualified interpreters for DPS conferences, special education, and discipline meetings, and translated report cards and registration forms, so schools never rely on students or siblings.
Hospital and clinic visits
Medical interpreters on-site or by video for patients who speak languages common in Denver schools and city caseloads, such as Amharic, Somali, Nepali, and Dari.
Emergency and safety notices
Fast-turnaround translation of warning signs and public safety alerts into Denver's citywide languages, as Executive Order 150 directs when time permits.
The Translation Excellence team provided support services to the 14th U.S. – China Oil and Gas Industry Forum and proved to be reliable, flexible and crucial to the success of the event. I would recommend Nisar and his team to businesses looking for reliable and affordable interpretation services in Colorado.
Detailed languages in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for metro areas, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area.
- Spanish376,142
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)19,115
- Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages16,644
- Russian14,375
- French (incl. Cajun)12,491
- Vietnamese12,034
- Korean10,981
- Arabic9,302
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001, Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area.
Where Denver 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.
- Mexico42,172
- Vietnam3,996
- Venezuela3,773
- Ethiopia3,031
- Colombia2,743
- China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan2,227
- Canada2,226
- El Salvador2,175
Denver questions
Which languages must Denver city agencies translate into?
Memorandum 150A to Executive Order 150 lists Vietnamese, Russian, Chinese, Amharic, Spanish, Arabic, and French (each spoken by at least 1,000 LEP residents) plus ASL, Burmese, Farsi, Karen, Nepali, and Somali (the languages city agencies encounter most). Vital documents must be translated into all top 12, and must carry a free-interpretation access statement in Korean, Urdu, Haitian, Khmer, Armenian, and Swahili.
What do Denver agencies require of interpreter and translation vendors?
Agencies must confirm in writing that the vendor's linguists are locally based or know Denver's language populations, are trained and experienced, receive ongoing coaching, work under quality assurance with second and third review, and that the vendor states its response times and collects client feedback. Each agency must also keep a phone interpretation account covering at least 100 languages.
How do I get an interpreter at Denver County Court?
Spanish interpreters are at the court every day. For other languages, submit the court's online interpreter request form at least five days before the hearing. Requests for ASL interpreters or CART go through the court's accessibility page. Denver District Court, a state court, is served by the 2nd Judicial District interpreter office at 520 W. Colfax Avenue.
What must Denver Public Schools provide to parents with limited English?
Under its consent decree, DPS must use qualified translators or interpreters, never students, siblings, friends, or untrained staff, and must translate or interpret documents with essential information, including registration forms, report cards, handbooks, discipline notices, permission slips, and special education materials, even when the child is not an English learner.
What languages are spoken in Denver?
23.9% of Denver residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 8.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun and Russian, Polish, and other Slavic. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, Vietnam, and Venezuela.
How many Denver households have limited English?
10,814 of 335,428 households (3.2%), 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 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 Denver?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Denver 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 and County of Denver: Executive Order No. 150 and Memorandum 150A, Citywide Language Access Program (Dec. 22, 2022, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- City and County of Denver: Language Access (Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs) (opens in a new tab)
- Denver County Court: Interpreter (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Judicial Branch: Managing & Staff Interpreter Contact Information (updated Apr. 9, 2026, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Denver Public Schools (Aug. 21, 2024): Update to Eight Most Spoken Languages in DPS (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division: What You Should Know About the Denver Public Schools Consent Decree (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Abraham Lincoln High School (DPS): Multilingual learner celebration article (opens in a new tab)
- Denver Health: Language Interpretation Services (opens in a new tab)
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains: Annual Report FY 2024-2025 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- International Rescue Committee: Denver, CO (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023) (opens in a new tab)
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