Colorado
Translation and interpreting services in Fort Collins
Fort Collins provides free phone interpreters in more than 200 languages that usually connect in under 10 seconds, interpreters at public meetings, and certified interpreters at no cost in Municipal Court. Poudre School District families speak more than 60 languages, and Colorado State University enrolls more than 2,000 international students.
Fort Collins language access in five numbers
The city, its schools, and its university each publish the numbers that shape interpreter and translation demand in Fort Collins.[1, 4, 5, 8]
- 200+
- languages on the City’s free phone interpretation service
- <10 sec
- typical wait to reach a City phone interpreter
- 60+
- languages spoken in Poudre School District
- 2
- Family Liaison languages every PSD school can call on: Spanish and Arabic
- 2,052
- international students at Colorado State University, 2024/25
Languages spoken in Fort Collins
10% of Fort Collins residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 2.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese and German and other West Germanic.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 9,386 | 1,845 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 1,987 | n/a |
| Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese | 1,288 | 604 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 965 | 326 |
| German and other West Germanic | 666 | n/a |
| French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun | 528 | n/a |
| Other languages | 449 | n/a |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Fort Collins city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Who needs language services in Fort Collins
- City language access
- The City of Fort Collins provides language access at no charge, including a telephone interpretation service in more than 200 languages, interpretation at public meetings, and translation of documents or portions of documents; requests go to the Title VI Coordinator at 970-416-4254.[1]
- Fort Collins Municipal Court
- The court offers certified interpreters at no cost; telephone interpreters are always available, Spanish interpreters are sometimes available in person, and people appearing remotely should contact the court in advance to request one.[2]
- Larimer County courts
- The 8th Judicial District interpreter office, at 201 LaPorte Avenue in Fort Collins, arranges interpreters for the state district and county courts in Larimer County.[3]
- Poudre School District
- More than 60 languages are spoken in Poudre School District, whose English Language Development options include a Newcomer program and Spanish/English dual language at select schools.[4]
- PSD family liaisons
- Every PSD school has access to a Spanish- or Arabic-speaking Family Liaison, though not always on site, and the district placed a translation device in each school's front office to cover other languages.[5]
- Hospital interpreter services
- UCHealth, which operates Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, provides about 75,000 interpretation sessions a month by phone, video, or in person at no cost to patients.[6]
- Colorado State University
- Colorado State University enrolled 2,052 international students in 2024/25, second in the state after CU Boulder.[8]
- Refugee resettlement
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains' Fort Collins office offers adoption, foster care, and parenting programs; its nearest refugee and asylee services are at its Greeley/Evans office.[9]
Language services in Fort Collins
City meetings and documents
Interpretation at Fort Collins council and community meetings, and certified translation of city documents or the portions that residents need.
Municipal and state court hearings
Certified court interpreters in person for Fort Collins Municipal Court and Larimer County courts, so Spanish and other languages do not depend on phone availability.
School newcomer and family meetings
In-person interpreters for PSD enrollment, newcomer intake, and special education meetings in languages beyond the district's Spanish and Arabic liaisons.
University and research documents
Certified translations of foreign transcripts, diplomas, and civil records for CSU international students, scholars, and their families.
Hospital and clinic care
Medical interpreters on-site or by video for patient visits, consent discussions, and discharge instructions in Fort Collins hospitals and clinics.
Fort Collins by the numbers
- Residents
- 170,229
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 16,445 10%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 3,996 2.4%
- Limited-English households
- 623 0.9%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 11,512 6.8%
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
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.
Where Fort Collins 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.
- Mexico2,042
- China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan1,321
- India857
- Korea529
- Canada377
- Germany359
Fort Collins questions
How do I get language help from the City of Fort Collins?
Call the Title VI Coordinator at 970-416-4254. The city's phone interpretation service covers more than 200 languages and usually connects in under 10 seconds, and you do not need to know English to call. Interpretation at public meetings and document translation are also free.
Does Fort Collins Municipal Court provide interpreters?
Yes. Certified interpreters are available at no cost. Phone interpreters are always available, Spanish interpreters are sometimes available in person, and anyone appearing remotely who needs an interpreter should contact the court in advance.
Who pays for interpreters in Larimer County state courts?
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. Requests go through the 8th Judicial District interpreter office at 201 LaPorte Avenue.
Which languages do Poudre School District families need?
PSD reports more than 60 languages spoken in the district. Every school has access to a Spanish- or Arabic-speaking Family Liaison, and front-office translation devices cover other languages until an interpreter is arranged.
What languages are spoken in Fort Collins?
10% of Fort Collins residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 2.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese and German and other West Germanic. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan, and India.
How many Fort Collins households have limited English?
623 of 71,768 households (0.9%), 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 Fort Collins?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Fort Collins 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 Fort Collins: Non-Discrimination Policies (Language Access) (opens in a new tab)
- City of Fort Collins: Municipal Court (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Judicial Branch: Managing & Staff Interpreter Contact Information (updated Apr. 9, 2026, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Poudre School District: English Language Development (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Department of Education: Family Engagement Standard 2 – ILA Interpretation/Translation Devices, Poudre School District (PDF) (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)
- Open Doors 2025: Colorado State Facts and Figures (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains: Annual Report FY 2024-2025 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Colorado Chief Justice Directive 06-03 (amended March 2023) (opens in a new tab)
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