Translation Services in Fargo, ND

Languages spoken in Fargo

10.7% of Fargo residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.5% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Arabic and French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun.

Language spoken at home	Residents	Speak English less than “very well”
Other languages	3,733	1,345
Other Indo-European languages	2,531	598
Spanish	2,282	337
Arabic	819	n/a
French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun	802	n/a
Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese	598	n/a
Other Asian and Pacific Island languages	492	n/a

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

Fargo by the numbers

Residents: 131,627
Speak a language other than English at home: 13,286 10.7%
Speak English less than “very well”: 4,351 3.5%
Limited-English households: 1,408 2.3%
Born outside the U.S.: 12,516 9.5%

Detailed languages in North Dakota

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

Spanish16,618
German4,445
Tagalog (incl. Filipino)2,632
Other Native languages of North America2,461
Yoruba, Twi, Igbo, or other languages of Western Africa2,351
French (incl. Cajun)2,350
Arabic1,749
Swahili or other languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa1,722

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

Language access rules in North Dakota

Court interpreter program: North Dakota Court System court interpreter program under Administrative Rule 50 and Policy 522 (Language Access Plan, June 7, 2023): the court system keeps a statewide N.D. Court Interpreter Roster, periodically offers an introductory two-day training for court interpreters, and the State Court Administrator's Office publishes the North Dakota Court Interpreter's Handbook.
Court-certified languages: North Dakota has no state certification process for interpreters; under Administrative Rule 50, courts use spoken-language interpreters certified by a recognized program in another jurisdiction and listed on that jurisdiction's statewide roster, and sign language interpreters certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the National or North Dakota Association for the Deaf, or approved by the superintendent of the state school for the deaf. If none is available, a court may use an interpreter whose actual qualifications are determined by examination or other appropriate means.
The rule: N.D.R.Civ.P. 43(c) requires the court to provide an interpreter when a person with limited English proficiency or a deaf person is involved in a proceeding as a party, witness, person with legal decision-making authority, or person with a significant legal interest, with similar language in N.D.R.Crim.P. 28; N.D.C.C. § 28-33-02 separately requires a qualified interpreter at all stages of judicial or administrative proceedings in which a deaf person is a principal party in interest.
Free court interpreters by case type: Administrative Rule 50 provides interpreters at no cost to deaf or hearing-impaired parties and witnesses in any case, and to limited English proficient parties and witnesses in criminal, traffic and infraction, juvenile, mental health, guardianship, protection order, divorce, paternity, and contempt cases, and lets the court add a second interpreter when interpretation exceeds two continuous hours.
Deaf access to state and local agencies: Under N.D.C.C. § 28-33-02(3), any agency of the state or a political subdivision serving or holding proceedings involving a deaf person must inform the person of the right to a qualified interpreter and appoint one at the agency's expense on request.
Medicaid interpreter coverage and standards: ND Medicaid covers sign and oral language interpreter services delivered with a covered service and billed by the treating provider, and its January 2026 billing manual requires interpreters to be trained in interpreting skills, ethics, and confidentiality, show proficiency in health care terminology, and follow National Council on Interpreting in Health Care standards.
Most interpreted court languages: North Dakota district court data for 2021-2022 show Spanish (825), Nepali (148), sign language (67), Bosnian (46), Somali (42), and Chuukese (41) as the most frequently interpreted languages.
Official language: N.D.C.C. § 54-02-13 declares English the official language of North Dakota.
Refugee services: The Office of Refugee Services in the Department of Health and Human Services runs programs including employment support, case management, cash and medical assistance, health coordination, and English language learning, co-locates health coordinators and career navigators at Adult Learning Centers, and reports that about half of 2023 refugee arrivals came through a private sponsorship program.

Sources

Where Fargo 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.

Liberia2,147
Philippines537
Ivory Coast406
Canada328

Language services in Fargo

Fargo questions

What languages are spoken in Fargo?

10.7% of Fargo residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 3.5% speak English less than “very well.” Spanish leads, followed by Arabic and French, Haitian Creole, or Cajun. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are Liberia, Philippines, and Ivory Coast.

How many Fargo households have limited English?

1,408 of 59,970 households (2.3%), 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 North Dakota?

North Dakota Court System court interpreter program under Administrative Rule 50 and Policy 522 (Language Access Plan, June 7, 2023): the court system keeps a statewide N.D. Court Interpreter Roster, periodically offers an introductory two-day training for court interpreters, and the State Court Administrator's Office publishes the North Dakota Court Interpreter's Handbook. North Dakota has no state certification process for interpreters; under Administrative Rule 50, courts use spoken-language interpreters certified by a recognized program in another jurisdiction and listed on that jurisdiction's statewide roster, and sign language interpreters certified by the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, the National or North Dakota Association for the Deaf, or approved by the superintendent of the state school for the deaf. If none is available, a court may use an interpreter whose actual qualifications are determined by examination or other appropriate means.

Do you provide on-site interpreters in Fargo?

Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Fargo and across North Dakota, 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 Fargo?

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