Montana
Translation and interpreting services in Helena
Interpreters and certified translators for Helena agencies, courts, hospitals, schools, and employers, in Spanish, ASL, and 250+ languages, on-site, by phone, and by video.
Helena by the numbers
- Residents
- 33,639
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 819 2.6%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 62 0.2%
- Limited-English households
- 8 0.1%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 544 1.6%
Languages spoken in Helena
2.6% of Helena residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 0.2% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish is the most common.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | 346 | n/a |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Helena city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Language services in Helena
Detailed languages in Montana
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for states, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in Montana.
- Spanish15,285
- German6,655
- Other Native languages of North America6,171
- French (incl. Cajun)1,877
- Yiddish, Pennsylvania Dutch or other West Germanic languages1,606
- Tagalog (incl. Filipino)1,597
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)1,568
- Russian1,537
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B16001, Montana.
Language access rules in Montana
- Court interpreter program
- Montana Judicial Branch, Office of Court Administrator (OCA), which helps courts locate interpreters and telephonic or video language services and pays for court-appointed interpreters under Judicial Branch Administrative Policy 890, Court Interpretation Services; the policy also directs courts to consider remote interpretation through the Judicial Video Network.
- Court-certified languages
- Policy 890 requires courts to appoint a qualified interpreter, applies the oath under Montana Rule of Evidence 604 and a code of conduct requiring interpreters to represent their certifications and training accurately, and directs courts to appoint sign language interpreters from the qualified list kept by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which the Montana Association of the Deaf and Montana Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf supply under MCA 49-4-507.
- The rule
- Judicial Branch Administrative Policy 890 (effective July 1, 2010, revised November 2019), citing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, requires the Supreme Court, District Courts, and Water Court to appoint a qualified interpreter for any limited English proficient or deaf or hard of hearing party, witness, prospective juror, or juror in any civil or criminal proceeding (for deaf or hard of hearing persons, when an assisted hearing device is unavailable or ineffective); MCA 49-4-503 separately mandates qualified interpreters for deaf persons in court, grand jury, and agency proceedings.
- Court interpreter payment
- Under Policy 890, the Office of Court Administrator pays for interpreters appointed during court proceedings, with compensation generally capped at $60 per hour absent extenuating circumstances, and courts are directed to use locally or regionally based interpreters first to limit travel costs.
- Interpreters for deaf people in agency hearings and arrests
- MCA 49-4-503 requires state agencies and local governing bodies to appoint a qualified interpreter at every stage of a judicial or quasi-judicial proceeding in which a deaf person is a principal party in interest, and requires law enforcement to provide one after arresting a deaf person and before interrogation or taking a statement (traffic violations excepted).
- Qualified interpreter list
- MCA 49-4-507 requires any authority that must appoint an interpreter for a deaf person to request the list of qualified interpreters kept by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, and to appoint another qualified interpreter if the choices do not meet the deaf person's needs or wishes.
- Intermediary interpreters
- Under MCA 49-4-505, when a qualified interpreter states that he or she cannot render a satisfactory interpretation and that an intermediary interpreter will improve it, the appointing authority must appoint an intermediary interpreter under the same rules.
- Official language
- MCA 1-1-510 (1995) makes English the official and primary language of state and local governments and their documents and records and bars any law or policy from requiring a specific foreign language in government documents, but expressly allows government employees to use other languages, including in government documents, if they choose.
Sources
- Montana Judicial Branch Administrative Policy 890, Court Interpretation Services (rev. November 2019)
- MCA 49-4-503, Deaf person as participant in judicial or administrative proceeding — interpreter to be used
- MCA 49-4-507, Coordination of interpreter requests
- MCA 49-4-505, Intermediary interpreter to be used
- MCA 1-1-510, English as official and primary language of state and local governments
Helena questions
What languages are spoken in Helena?
2.6% of Helena residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 0.2% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish is the most common.
How many Helena households have limited English?
8 of 15,774 households (0.1%), 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 Montana?
Montana Judicial Branch, Office of Court Administrator (OCA), which helps courts locate interpreters and telephonic or video language services and pays for court-appointed interpreters under Judicial Branch Administrative Policy 890, Court Interpretation Services; the policy also directs courts to consider remote interpretation through the Judicial Video Network. Policy 890 requires courts to appoint a qualified interpreter, applies the oath under Montana Rule of Evidence 604 and a code of conduct requiring interpreters to represent their certifications and training accurately, and directs courts to appoint sign language interpreters from the qualified list kept by the Department of Public Health and Human Services, which the Montana Association of the Deaf and Montana Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf supply under MCA 49-4-507.
Do you provide on-site interpreters in Helena?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Helena and across Montana, 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 Helena?
Yes. We staff conferences, conventions, trade shows, seminars, corporate training, and client meetings in Helena 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.
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Send your files or describe your event. A language specialist replies with a fixed quote and a delivery date, with no obligation.
Prefer to call? 720-325-0459