Translation Services in Joliet, IL

Joliet by the numbers

Residents: 150,445
Speak a language other than English at home: 40,883 28.8%
Speak English less than “very well”: 16,677 11.8%
Limited-English households: 2,576 5%
Born outside the U.S.: 23,331 15.5%

Languages spoken in Joliet

28.8% of Joliet residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 11.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Russian, Polish, and other Slavic and Tagalog, including Filipino.

34,393Spanish
1,917Other Indo-European languages
1,438Russian, Polish, and other Slavic
982Other languages
410Tagalog, including Filipino

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

Where Joliet 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.

Mexico16,295
Colombia628
India621
Philippines494
Poland459
Ghana447

Language services in Joliet

Detailed languages in Will County, Illinois

The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for counties, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Will County, Illinois.

Spanish91,819
Polish7,785
Hindi7,434
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)5,924
Urdu5,880
Other Indo-European languages5,145
Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)4,743

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001, Will County, Illinois.

Language access rules in Illinois

Court interpreter program: Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) Language Access Program, which administers the statewide court interpreter certification program, maintains the Court Interpreter Registry of certified and registered spoken and sign language interpreters, and oversees Language Access Plans in all 24 judicial circuits.
Court-certified languages: AOIC offers full NCSC oral certification exams in French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Khmer, Lao, Polish, Somali, and Spanish, and abbreviated exams in Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian, Marshallese, and Turkish; candidates score 70% or higher for "Certified" or 60% or higher for "Registered," and in other languages an ALTA oral proficiency interview can earn "Qualified" status.
The rule: The Illinois Supreme Court Language Access Policy (effective October 1, 2014) states that courts should provide an interpreter for any limited English proficient party or witness in a legal proceeding and must make reasonable efforts to appoint a certified Registry interpreter first and a registered one second; according to the AOIC, courts must appoint interpreters by written order for LEP defendants in misdemeanor and felony cases under the Criminal Proceeding Interpreter Act (725 ILCS 140) and for LEP parties and witnesses in civil cases under 735 ILCS 5/8-1403, and must provide qualified sign language interpreters for deaf litigants, witnesses, victims, jurors, and spectators under 735 ILCS 5/8-1402.
Court interpreter appointment order: Under the Supreme Court Language Access Policy, a court may use an unregistered interpreter only when no certified or registered Registry interpreter is available, and must then examine that interpreter in open court for minimum qualifications and impartiality; circuit courts arrange and pay for interpreters.
Language Equity and Access Act (SB3762): Signed August 2, 2024 and effective immediately, the Act charges the Governor's Office of New Americans, with the Department of Human Services, to set and oversee statewide language access requirements and prepare a Language Needs Assessment Report to help state agencies build language access plans, requires each state agency to develop an internal complaint and review process for language assistance services, and requires an annual compliance report to the Governor's Office and the General Assembly.
English learner programs and parent notice: Under Article 14C of the School Code and 23 Ill. Adm. Code Part 228, as summarized by ISBE, a school with 20 or more English learners of the same language background offers Transitional Bilingual Education, the Home Language Survey must be given in a language parents can understand, and parents must be notified of EL placement within 30 days after the school year begins or 14 days after enrollment during the school year.
Sign language interpreter licensure: According to the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission, the Interpreter for the Deaf Licensure Act of 2007 (225 ILCS 443) requires anyone providing interpreting services in Illinois to be licensed unless specifically exempted under the Act.
Right to state language services: The Governor's Office of New Americans states that people seeking services from the State of Illinois have a legal right to free translation and interpretation in their language of choice, and counts 1,030,616 Illinoisans (9%) as limited English proficient.
Interpreter license renewal: Illinois sign language interpreter licenses expire every December 31, with a $175 full-year initial license fee plus a $50 application fee and a $150 annual renewal.
Refugee services: The Illinois Department of Human Services Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services funds employment, case management, English language training, school impact, and behavioral health services for refugees and other ORR-eligible arrivals, with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago as the active grantee.

Sources

Joliet questions

What languages are spoken in Joliet?

28.8% of Joliet residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 11.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Russian, Polish, and other Slavic and Tagalog, including Filipino. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, Colombia, and India.

How many Joliet households have limited English?

2,576 of 51,055 households (5%), 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 Illinois?

Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) Language Access Program, which administers the statewide court interpreter certification program, maintains the Court Interpreter Registry of certified and registered spoken and sign language interpreters, and oversees Language Access Plans in all 24 judicial circuits. AOIC offers full NCSC oral certification exams in French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Ilocano, Khmer, Lao, Polish, Somali, and Spanish, and abbreviated exams in Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian, Marshallese, and Turkish; candidates score 70% or higher for "Certified" or 60% or higher for "Registered," and in other languages an ALTA oral proficiency interview can earn "Qualified" status.

Do you provide on-site interpreters in Joliet?

Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Joliet and across Illinois, and by phone and video nationwide, in 250+ languages including Spanish and ASL. Book less common languages as early as you can.

Do you provide conference and meeting interpreters in Joliet?

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