Translation Services in Shreveport, LA

Where Shreveport 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.

Mexico1,129
Philippines470

Languages spoken in Shreveport

4.2% of Shreveport residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 1.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun.

Language spoken at home	Residents	Speak English less than “very well”
Spanish	3,738	1,431
Other Indo-European languages	612	n/a
French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun	455	n/a

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

Shreveport by the numbers

Residents: 180,982
Speak a language other than English at home: 7,154 4.2%
Speak English less than “very well”: 2,391 1.4%
Limited-English households: 398 0.5%
Born outside the U.S.: 5,048 2.8%

Detailed languages in Louisiana

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

Spanish222,669
French (incl. Cajun)57,844
Vietnamese27,072
Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)10,250
Arabic8,118
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)5,831
Portuguese3,502
German3,430

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

Language access rules in Louisiana

Court interpreter program: Louisiana Supreme Court Office of Language Access (OLA), which trains, tests, and credentials court interpreters, maintains the Louisiana Court Interpreter Registry, and publishes the judiciary's Language Access Plan and bench card.
Court-certified languages: OLA recognizes certified (highest), registered (intermediate), and uncredentialed interpreters; registered status requires orientation, an 80% score on the NCSC written English exam, an oral proficiency interview, and 8 hours of courtroom observation, and certification requires at least 6 months as a registered interpreter and a score of at least 70% on each section of the NCSC oral exam. The Registry lists certified interpreters in Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and registered interpreters in 26 languages, including ASL, Amharic, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, and Ukrainian.
The rule: La. Code Crim. Proc. art. 25.1 (as amended by Acts 2024, No. 32) requires the court to appoint an interpreter under the Code of Evidence and Supreme Court rules for a party or witness found to be limited English proficient or deaf, paid from the appropriate court fund; the Supreme Court bench card cites La. Code Evid. arts. 604 and 604.1, La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 192.2, and Supreme Court Rule Part G, Section 14 for free interpreters in all civil and criminal proceedings.
Court interpreter selection and requests: Louisiana's bench card tells courts to seek a Supreme Court certified interpreter first and a registered one second, never to let family members or friends interpret inside the courtroom or the LEP person's attorney interpret for the court, and to have interpreter requests reach the local language access coordinator at least 10 business days before the proceeding or as soon as it is calendared, whichever comes first.
Out-of-court interpreting is the lawyer's cost: The judiciary does not provide or fund interpreting for private counsel's out-of-court communication, including interviews, investigations, and case preparation, and encourages counsel to retain a Supreme Court certified or registered interpreter directly.
Deaf and hard of hearing interpreters (R.S. 46:2364): La. R.S. 46:2364 requires a qualified interpreter/transliterator for deaf or hard-of-hearing participants in judicial and quasi-judicial proceedings, hearings of state and local departments, boards, licensing authorities, commissions, and agencies, legislative committee testimony, and arrest interrogations, and a statement made to law enforcement without one may be used against the person only if the court finds a valid waiver.
Sign language interpreter standards: Under Act 128 of 2022 and La. R.S. 46:2353, the Louisiana Commission for the Deaf sets minimum qualification standards for sign language interpreters and keeps the Louisiana Interpreter Registry; the rule, effective on publication May 20, 2026, applies to community settings including medical and to PreK-12 schools, with court and legal standards expected in fall 2026.
Linguistic heritage in the constitution: Article XII, Section 4 of the Louisiana Constitution recognizes the right of the people to preserve, foster, and promote their historic linguistic and cultural origins.
French language agency: La. R.S. 25:651 creates the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana (CODOFIL) in the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, domiciled in Lafayette, with French as its official working language and a mandate to expand French immersion schools and approve Louisiana French terms for highway signs.

Sources

Language services in Shreveport

Shreveport questions

What languages are spoken in Shreveport?

4.2% of Shreveport residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 1.4% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico and Philippines.

How many Shreveport households have limited English?

398 of 75,996 households (0.5%), 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 Louisiana?

Louisiana Supreme Court Office of Language Access (OLA), which trains, tests, and credentials court interpreters, maintains the Louisiana Court Interpreter Registry, and publishes the judiciary's Language Access Plan and bench card. OLA recognizes certified (highest), registered (intermediate), and uncredentialed interpreters; registered status requires orientation, an 80% score on the NCSC written English exam, an oral proficiency interview, and 8 hours of courtroom observation, and certification requires at least 6 months as a registered interpreter and a score of at least 70% on each section of the NCSC oral exam. The Registry lists certified interpreters in Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese, and registered interpreters in 26 languages, including ASL, Amharic, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, and Ukrainian.

Do you provide on-site interpreters in Shreveport?

Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Shreveport and across Louisiana, 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 Shreveport?

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