Translation and interpreting services in Columbia

Language access rules in South Carolina

Court interpreter program

South Carolina Judicial Branch, Court Interpreting Section of the Office of Court Administration (the South Carolina Court Interpreter Certification Program), whose Program Manager maintains the South Carolina Court Interpreter's Directory of certified and otherwise qualified interpreters, updated twice a year.

Court-certified languages

South Carolina credentials interpreters as certified (a two-day workshop, 80% on a written exam, an oral proficiency assessment at advanced-low or higher, and at least 70% on each part of the oral certification exam) or otherwise qualified (the written exam, the oral proficiency assessment, and the two-day workshop); ASL interpreters are certified through RID or NAD.

The rule

S.C. Code § 17-1-50 requires the court to appoint a certified or otherwise qualified interpreter when a party, witness, or victim in a criminal proceeding cannot sufficiently understand or speak English, with fees paid from the state general fund through the Judicial Department; § 15-27-155 lets courts appoint qualified interpreters in civil proceedings, and Supreme Court Administrative Orders 2023-03-09-01, 2023-03-09-02, and 2023-05-18 govern appointment.

Qualified interpreter standard

Under S.C. Code § 17-1-50, a qualified interpreter must be at least 18, may not be a family member of a party or witness or a person confined to an institution, and must speak English and the foreign language fluently and interpret simultaneously, consecutively, and by sight translation; a party or witness may use a qualified interpreter not on the state's centralized list who submits a sworn affidavit of qualifications or submits to voir dire.

Civil interpreter costs

S.C. Code § 15-27-155 allows civil interpreter fees to be paid from the state general fund, paid by the parties as the court directs, or taxed as costs at the court's discretion.

Deaf parties and witnesses

S.C. Code § 15-27-15 requires the court to appoint as many qualified interpreters or deaf relay interpreters as needed for a deaf party or witness unless the person waives or the judge finds one unnecessary, and defines a qualified interpreter as one certified by the South Carolina Association of the Deaf Interpreter Assessment Program (Level IV or V) or the National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf and approved by the South Carolina Association of the Deaf.

No children as interpreters

The South Carolina Judicial Branch Language Access Plan (May 2023) prohibits court staff from using minor children to interpret absent an emergency and requires that court users be told of their right to an interpreter at no cost.

Official language

S.C. Code § 1-1-696 (1987) makes English the official language of South Carolina, and § 1-1-697 bars the state and its political subdivisions from requiring use of any other language, though agencies may require foreign language skills for employment.

Most common languages

The Judicial Branch Language Access Plan lists the most common home languages other than English in South Carolina, in order, as Spanish, German, Chinese, French, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, Hindi, and Gujarati.