Translation Services in Honolulu, HI

Languages spoken in Honolulu

35% of Honolulu residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 18.3% speak English less than “very well.” Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese leads, followed by Tagalog, including Filipino and Korean.

Language spoken at home	Residents	Speak English less than “very well”
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages	47,836	24,227
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	24,627	15,905
Tagalog, including Filipino	15,622	8,089
Korean	8,930	5,666
Vietnamese	5,994	4,153
Spanish	5,863	1,151
Other Indo-European languages	1,953	368

Other Asian and Pacific Island languages 47,83624,227 speak English less than “very well”
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese 24,62715,905 speak English less than “very well”
Tagalog, including Filipino 15,6228,089 speak English less than “very well”
Korean 8,9305,666 speak English less than “very well”
Vietnamese 5,9944,153 speak English less than “very well”
Spanish 5,8631,151 speak English less than “very well”
Other Indo-European languages 1,953368 speak English less than “very well”

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Urban Honolulu CDP (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.

Where Honolulu 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.

Philippines28,099
China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan15,308
Japan12,473
Korea8,512
Micronesia6,267
Vietnam5,735
Hong Kong2,699
Oceania, n.e.c.1,766

Honolulu by the numbers

Residents: 345,482
Speak a language other than English at home: 115,448 35%
Speak English less than “very well”: 60,544 18.3%
Limited-English households: 14,072 10.3%
Born outside the U.S.: 95,515 27.6%

Language access rules in Hawaii

Court interpreter program: Hawaii State Judiciary, Office on Equality and Access to the Courts (OEAC), which runs the statewide Court Interpreter Certification Program, recruits, registers, educates, and tests court interpreters, and publishes the list of registered court interpreters.
Court-certified languages: Under the Hawaii Rules for Certification of Spoken-Language Interpreters (effective July 1, 2019), interpreters in any language who complete orientation, pass written English proficiency and ethics exams, and clear a background check are Tier 1 Registered, and they advance to Conditionally Approved, Approved, Certified, or Certified Master by scores on approved oral proficiency exams (NCSC, LionBridge, the federal court exam, or U.S. Department of State exams); courts should give preference to qualified interpreters within their circuit, who are paid by designation.
The rule: The Judiciary's Language Assistance Policy (Judiciary Policy #12) commits the courts, in all case types, to reasonably provide competent court interpreters free of charge and in a timely manner to parties, witnesses, and individuals with a substantial interest in a case; HRS ch. 321C defines the judicial branch as a state agency, and HRS § 321C-3 requires each state agency to provide competent, timely oral language services to limited English proficient persons.
Hawaii language access law (HRS ch. 321C): HRS § 321C-3 requires every state agency and every covered entity receiving state financial assistance to take reasonable steps, weighed by a totality of circumstances, to ensure meaningful access for limited English proficient persons, including competent, timely oral language services and written translations of vital documents for each limited English proficient group that makes up five percent or 1,000 people, whichever is less, of the population served (or, for groups under 50 people, written notice of the right to free oral interpretation).
Who counts as a covered entity: HRS § 321C-2 defines covered entities as organizations receiving state grants, purchase-of-service contracts, or other state funds to serve the public, and defines vital documents to include applications, outreach materials, and written notices of rights, denials, losses, or decreases in benefits or services.
Language access plans: HRS § 321C-4 requires each state agency and covered entity to establish a language access plan, and each state agency to designate a language access coordinator and file its plan with the Office of Language Access every two years.
Official languages: HRS § 1-13 makes English and Hawaiian the official languages of Hawaii, with the English version of a law controlling in a conflict and Hawaiian not required for public acts and transactions.
Office of Language Access rulemaking: The Department of Health's Office of Language Access proposed Hawaii Administrative Rules chapter 11-220 in 2026 to set uniform statewide procedures under HRS ch. 321C, including language access planning requirements, an interpreter and translator roster system, compliance monitoring, and complaint procedures, with written comments due September 3, 2026.
Court language materials: The Judiciary publishes language access pages in Cantonese, Chuukese, Hawaiian, Ilokano, Japanese, Korean, Kosraean, Mandarin, Marshallese, Pohnpeian, Samoan, Spanish, Tagalog, Tongan, and Vietnamese, and its guides on how to request an interpreter are published in Chuukese, Ilokano, Korean, Marshallese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Sources

Language services in Honolulu

Detailed languages in Hawaii

The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for states, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Hawaii.

Ilocano, Samoan, Hawaiian, or other Austronesian languages117,184
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)60,236
Japanese36,889
Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)34,755
Spanish27,778
Korean14,640
Other and unspecified languages11,041
Vietnamese9,901

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B16001, Hawaii.

Honolulu questions

What languages are spoken in Honolulu?

35% of Honolulu residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 18.3% speak English less than “very well.” Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese leads, followed by Tagalog, including Filipino and Korean. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Philippines, China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan, and Japan.

How many Honolulu households have limited English?

14,072 of 136,902 households (10.3%), 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 Hawaii?

Hawaii State Judiciary, Office on Equality and Access to the Courts (OEAC), which runs the statewide Court Interpreter Certification Program, recruits, registers, educates, and tests court interpreters, and publishes the list of registered court interpreters. Under the Hawaii Rules for Certification of Spoken-Language Interpreters (effective July 1, 2019), interpreters in any language who complete orientation, pass written English proficiency and ethics exams, and clear a background check are Tier 1 Registered, and they advance to Conditionally Approved, Approved, Certified, or Certified Master by scores on approved oral proficiency exams (NCSC, LionBridge, the federal court exam, or U.S. Department of State exams); courts should give preference to qualified interpreters within their circuit, who are paid by designation.

Do you provide on-site interpreters in Honolulu?

Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Honolulu and across Hawaii, and by phone and video nationwide, in 250+ languages including Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese and ASL. Book less common languages as early as you can.

Do you provide conference and meeting interpreters in Honolulu?

Yes. We staff conferences, conventions, trade shows, seminars, corporate training, and client meetings in Honolulu 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.