South Dakota
Translation and interpreting services in Spearfish
Interpreters and certified translators for Spearfish agencies, courts, hospitals, schools, and employers, in Spanish, ASL, and 250+ languages, on-site, by phone, and by video.
Spearfish by the numbers
- Residents
- 12,930
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 524 4.3%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 178 1.5%
- Limited-English households
- 69 1.2%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 340 2.6%
Languages spoken in Spearfish
4.3% of Spearfish residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 1.5% speak English less than “very well.”
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Spearfish city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Language services in Spearfish
Detailed languages in South Dakota
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for states, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in South Dakota.
- Spanish22,332
- Other Native languages of North America9,521
- German6,258
- Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages3,115
- Other languages of Asia1,713
- Swahili or other languages of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa1,637
- Nepali, Marathi, or other Indic languages1,516
- Russian1,460
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2020-2024 5-year, table B16001, South Dakota.
Language access rules in South Dakota
- Court interpreter program
- South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) language access program, which publishes statewide and circuit language access plans, an Interpreter Handbook on ethics, procedures, and qualifications, an Interpreter Code of Ethics, and a list of languages for which UJS has needed interpreters and translators in past cases; prospective interpreters contact the UJS Language Access Coordinator.
- Court-certified languages
- The Third Judicial Circuit's language access plan states that the South Dakota court system has no formal interpreter certification requirements; that circuit keeps a list of local agencies and freelance interpreters, requires adequate fluency in English and the interpreted language, and consults outside sources such as Lutheran Social Services for languages not on its list. UJS posts a statement on interpreter services in languages including Amharic, Arabic, Dinka, French, Karen, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
- The rule
- SDCL 19-3-7 requires the court to procure and appoint a disinterested interpreter or translator when a witness cannot communicate in or understand English, with the fee paid and collected as other costs, and SDCL 23A-22-11 (Criminal Rule 28) lets a court appoint an interpreter and set reasonable compensation; SDCL 19-3-10 requires a qualified interpreter for deaf or mute persons in grand jury and criminal-exposure court proceedings, agency proceedings, and before any interrogation after arrest.
- Agencies pay for deaf interpreters
- Under SDCL 19-3-12, the court, board, commission, or agency conducting a proceeding appoints the interpreter required by 19-3-10, fixes a reasonable fee, and pays it from funds appropriated for its operation.
- Paid sign language interpreting requires DHS registration
- SDCL 1-36A-10.3 makes it a Class 2 misdemeanor to interpret for deaf or hard-of-hearing people for a fee, or to use the title interpreter, without certification and registration with the Department of Human Services, subject to exceptions in 1-36A-16 such as signing assistance in a medical emergency until a certified interpreter arrives.
- Recognized interpreter credentials
- Under SDCL 1-36A-10.5 (amended 2023), DHS registers interpreters certified by and in good standing with RID, NAD, the EIPA Center with a score of at least 3.5, or another department-approved entity, with annual registration required.
- Official languages
- SDCL 1-27-20 makes English the common language of official public documents, records, and meetings, and since 2019 designates the language of the Oceti Sakowin (Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota) as the state's official indigenous language.
- Refugee program
- South Dakota operates a hybrid refugee program in which the state administers Refugee Medical Assistance and a non-governmental replacement designee administers Refugee Cash Assistance and Refugee Support Services; because ORR stopped Refugee Support Services formula funding to nonprofit replacement designees effective October 1, 2025, the Department of Social Services sought state-based partners to deliver those services.
Sources
- South Dakota UJS: Language Access Resources
- South Dakota Third Judicial Circuit Court Strategic Language Access Plan (effective July 1, 2021)
- SDCL 19-3-7, Interpreter for witness unable to communicate in English
- SDCL 19-3-10, Interpreters for deaf and mute persons
- SDCL 19-3-12, Appointing authority for interpreters, fees
- SDCL 1-36A-10.3, Certification and registration required for interpreters receiving remuneration
- SDCL 1-36A-10.5, Registered interpreters for the deaf, certification
- SDCL 1-27-20, Common language; official indigenous language
- South Dakota DSS: RFP 15768, Refugee Support Services (proposals due Aug. 7, 2025)
- SDCL 23A-22-11 (Rule 28), Appointment and compensation of interpreter
Spearfish questions
What languages are spoken in Spearfish?
4.3% of Spearfish residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 1.5% speak English less than “very well.”
How many Spearfish households have limited English?
69 of 5,932 households (1.2%), 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 South Dakota?
South Dakota Unified Judicial System (UJS) language access program, which publishes statewide and circuit language access plans, an Interpreter Handbook on ethics, procedures, and qualifications, an Interpreter Code of Ethics, and a list of languages for which UJS has needed interpreters and translators in past cases; prospective interpreters contact the UJS Language Access Coordinator. The Third Judicial Circuit's language access plan states that the South Dakota court system has no formal interpreter certification requirements; that circuit keeps a list of local agencies and freelance interpreters, requires adequate fluency in English and the interpreted language, and consults outside sources such as Lutheran Social Services for languages not on its list. UJS posts a statement on interpreter services in languages including Amharic, Arabic, Dinka, French, Karen, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Do you provide on-site interpreters in Spearfish?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Spearfish and across South 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 Spearfish?
Yes. We staff conferences, conventions, trade shows, seminars, corporate training, and client meetings in Spearfish 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.
Tell us what’s at stake. We’ll show you how we’d handle it.
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