Translation Services in Omaha, NE

Languages spoken in Omaha

17.9% of Omaha residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 7.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun and Arabic.

Language spoken at home	Residents	Speak English less than “very well”
Spanish	52,943	23,523
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages	7,711	4,045
Other Indo-European languages	5,611	2,428
Other languages	4,023	1,558
French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun	2,980	1,460
Arabic	2,656	904
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	1,624	461

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

Omaha by the numbers

Residents: 488,837
Speak a language other than English at home: 81,593 17.9%
Speak English less than “very well”: 35,449 7.8%
Limited-English households: 6,291 3.1%
Born outside the U.S.: 55,364 11.3%

Detailed languages in Nebraska

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

Spanish174,874
French (incl. Cajun)8,116
Other languages of Asia7,318
Vietnamese6,412
German6,219
Nepali, Marathi, or other Indic languages4,306
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)3,343

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

Language access rules in Nebraska

Court interpreter program: Nebraska Judicial Branch Language Access Program, which supports interpreters through its Interpreter Certification Pathway; under the Nebraska Supreme Court's rules on interpreters (Neb. Ct. R. § 6-701 et seq., Article 7), the State Court Administrator certifies, provisionally certifies, and registers interpreters for the courts and probation.
Court-certified languages: As of February 2025, Nebraska had 28 Nebraska-based certified court interpreters across five languages: Chinese Mandarin, French, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The Article 7 rules recognize certified, provisionally certified, and registered interpreters, and sign language and Deaf interpreters must also hold a license under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-150 et seq.
The rule: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-2403 requires the presiding judge in any proceeding to appoint an interpreter for a person unable to communicate the English language, for preparation and trial of the case; under § 25-2406, the judge fixes interpreter fees under a Supreme Court fee schedule, paid from the state General Fund through funds appropriated to the Supreme Court or other funds made available to it.
Team interpreting in courts and probation: Neb. Ct. R. § 6-703(C), amended June 12, 2024, requires two foreign language interpreters for any court proceeding or probation service scheduled for two or more hours, and two sign language interpreters for any scheduled for more than one hour.
Licensed interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing people: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-151 defines the appointing authorities required to provide licensed interpreters for deaf and hard of hearing people under §§ 20-150 to 20-159 as state agencies (including the Legislature, executive agencies, courts, and probation, but not political subdivisions) and law enforcement personnel, and defines a licensed interpreter as one licensed by the Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, including a licensed video remote interpreting provider.
Interpreters at arrest: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-152 requires a licensed interpreter for any interrogation, warning, notification of rights, or taking of a statement when a deaf or hard of hearing person is arrested for a state law or local ordinance violation, and the right may be waived only in writing.
Medicaid language services: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 68-911(9)(a), as amended by LB62 (Laws 2024), requires the Department of Health and Human Services to provide coverage, and reimbursement to providers, for all necessary translation and interpretation services for Medicaid recipients.
Interpreter licensure: The Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing licenses and evaluates interpreters and sets licensure fees for interpreters and video remote interpreting providers, and any person or entity providing interpreting services under §§ 20-150 to 20-159 without a license may be enjoined and, since January 1, 2016, is subject to a civil penalty.
Official language: Article I, Section 27 of the Nebraska Constitution declares English the state's official language and requires all official proceedings, records, and publications to be in English.
Refugee resettlement: The Nebraska DHHS Refugee Resettlement Program lists Lutheran Family Services, Refugee Empowerment Center, and Catholic Social Services as the state's resettlement agencies, and provides refugee employment and English as a Second Language services for the first five years in the U.S.

Sources

Where Omaha 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.

Mexico17,428
Guatemala3,658
India3,516
El Salvador2,675
Burma (Myanmar)2,344
Thailand1,918
China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan1,438
Cuba1,258

Language services in Omaha

Omaha questions

What languages are spoken in Omaha?

17.9% of Omaha residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 7.8% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun and Arabic. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Mexico, Guatemala, and India.

How many Omaha households have limited English?

6,291 of 201,698 households (3.1%), 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 Nebraska?

Nebraska Judicial Branch Language Access Program, which supports interpreters through its Interpreter Certification Pathway; under the Nebraska Supreme Court's rules on interpreters (Neb. Ct. R. § 6-701 et seq., Article 7), the State Court Administrator certifies, provisionally certifies, and registers interpreters for the courts and probation. As of February 2025, Nebraska had 28 Nebraska-based certified court interpreters across five languages: Chinese Mandarin, French, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese. The Article 7 rules recognize certified, provisionally certified, and registered interpreters, and sign language and Deaf interpreters must also hold a license under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 20-150 et seq.

Do you provide on-site interpreters in Omaha?

Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Omaha and across Nebraska, 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 Omaha?

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