Translation and interpreting services in Virginia Beach

Language access rules in Virginia

Court interpreter program

Foreign Language Services (FLS) Division of the Office of the Executive Secretary, Supreme Court of Virginia, which administers the Judicial Council of Virginia's process for certifying foreign language court interpreters and maintains a public directory of certified court interpreters available for private assignments.

Court-certified languages

Certified status is available in 19 languages with a certification exam: Amharic, Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Levantine), Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Cantonese, Filipino (Tagalog), French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese; interpreters in languages without an exam can earn qualified status.

The rule

Va. Code 19.2-164 requires appointment of an interpreter for a non-English-speaking accused in any criminal case, and for victims and witnesses unless the court finds one unnecessary, with compensation fixed under Judicial Council guidelines and paid from the state general fund; Va. Code 8.01-384.1:1 lets courts appoint interpreters for parties and witnesses in civil cases, and 19.2-164.1 requires interpreters for deaf persons in criminal cases.

School language access plans (effective July 1, 2027)

Va. Code 22.1-4.4 requires every school board to adopt and post a language access plan that provides free oral interpretation and written translation for limited English proficient parents and translates all vital documents, such as enrollment forms, disciplinary notices, codes of conduct, IEP documents, and appeal-rights information, into the languages most commonly spoken by LEP parents in the division.

Qualified deaf interpreters for courts and agencies

Under Va. Code 51.5-113, a qualified interpreter for deaf or hard-of-hearing persons must hold a national certification recognized by the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing, a current Virginia Quality Assurance Screening level, or an equivalent current credential from another state, and courts and state and local agencies with designated funds pay the interpreter's actual cost.

Civil case interpreter costs

Under Va. Code 8.01-384.1:1, civil court interpreters are paid from the state general fund to the extent of available appropriations, but the court may assess the fee against either party as part of the case costs.

Official language

Va. Code 1-511 designates English as the Commonwealth's official language but provides that, except as otherwise provided by law, no state agency or local government is required to provide, or prohibited from providing, written materials in other languages.

Statewide deaf interpreter service

Va. Code 51.5-113 authorizes the Virginia Department for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing to run a statewide interpreter service for courts, legislative bodies, and public and private agencies, keep lists of qualified interpreters, and charge fees for its quality assurance screening.