Washington
Translation and interpreting services in Seattle
Seattle's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs ranks 15 languages the city should use to reach residents, from Spanish and Chinese to Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Oromo, and every city department must file a language access plan with that office every two years. The municipal court, Seattle Public Schools, and King County each set their own language rules on top of the city's.
Languages spoken in Seattle
23.7% of Seattle residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 7.2% speak English less than “very well.” Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese leads, followed by Spanish and Vietnamese.
| Language spoken at home | Residents | Speak English less than “very well” |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese | 36,036 | 14,861 |
| Spanish | 34,234 | 9,500 |
| Other Indo-European languages | 24,194 | 2,588 |
| Other Asian and Pacific Island languages | 16,867 | 4,532 |
| Other languages | 15,645 | 6,353 |
| Vietnamese | 11,342 | 6,789 |
| Tagalog, including Filipino | 7,318 | 2,173 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates for Seattle city (tables C16001, C16002, B05002, B05006) (opens in a new tab). Figures with a wide margin of error are not shown.
Seattle’s 15 top languages
The Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs ranks the languages city departments should use, combining census, school, public health, police, housing, and court interpreter data. In 2023 it dropped its tier system and asked departments to plan language access around the communities they serve.[2]
Who needs language services in Seattle
- Citywide language access plans
- Executive Order 2017-10 requires every city department to create a language access plan built on the U.S. Department of Justice four-factor analysis and submit it to the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) every two years, and the Seattle Office for Civil Rights investigates language-access complaints.[1]
- City translation and interpretation
- The city translates vital documents mainly through a team of Puget Sound-based independent contract linguists whose contracts OIRA manages, uses multiple vendors for phone, video, and on-site interpretation, and requires departments to post translated notices of free language assistance at entrances, lobbies, websites, and kiosks.[1]
- Top languages without tiers
- OIRA dropped its tier system in its 2023 top-languages report, asks departments to choose languages by community need, recommends Traditional Chinese for written materials and both Cantonese and Mandarin for interpretation, and updates the ranking every three years.[2]
- Newly arrived residents
- For recent immigrants and refugees, OIRA points departments to refugee screening and state data: 16,739 Ukrainians arrived in Washington and received state services between January 2022 and February 2023, and more than 3,200 Afghans have arrived since October 2021.[2]
- Seattle Municipal Court
- The court's language access plan (effective August 1, 2025) lists 13 current needs (Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic, Mandarin, Korean, Tigrinya, Punjabi, Cantonese, Arabic, Samoan, Swahili, and Khmer), appoints credentialed interpreters whenever possible, documents good cause when it cannot, and does not use automated translation for official court communications.[3]
- Seattle Public Schools
- Under Policy 4218 (revised October 2022), the district provides free translation and interpretation in Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese and contracts for over-the-phone interpretation in other languages, requested through each school.[5]
- King County language access law
- King County Code Chapter 2.15 requires county agencies to keep language assistance plans naming the vital documents and public materials they translate into the county's top six languages, and to provide language assistance at no cost and without unreasonable delay.[6]
Language access rules in Washington
- Court interpreter program
- Washington Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Language Access Team, which supports the courts' language access work; the AOC credentials spoken-language court interpreters under RCW 2.43.070, General Rule 11 establishes the Interpreter and Language Access Commission (ILAC), and local trial courts schedule interpreters.
- Court-certified languages
- As of September 2026 the AOC lists certified court interpreters in 16 languages (Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, and Vietnamese) and registered interpreters in 38 languages (several overlapping with the certified list), from Albanian, Dari, and Farsi to Somali, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Yoruba.
- The rule
- RCW 2.43.030, as amended in 2025, requires credentialed interpreters to be appointed in any legal proceeding involving a person with limited English proficiency, in court or before a state or local agency, unless good cause is found on the record; RCW 2.43.081 makes an LEP person not responsible for interpreter costs if a party, subpoenaed or summoned, a juvenile's parent, guardian, or custodian, or compelled to appear, and RCW 2.42.120 requires the appointing authority to appoint and pay for a qualified interpreter for deaf and hard of hearing parties and witnesses.
- Court language access plans
- RCW 2.43.090 requires every trial court to maintain a written language access plan covering civil and criminal matters, including procedures for appointing interpreters, posting notice of the right to an interpreter in the five or more non-English languages predominant in the jurisdiction, and prioritizing translation of written materials.
- School district language access programs
- Under RCW 28A.183.040 (2022 c 107), every school district must designate a language access liaison, adopt a language access policy and procedures, and since the 2023-24 school year implement a language access program for family engagement; RCW 28A.183.050 requires districts to collect each family's preferred language and whether a qualified interpreter was requested and provided at meetings reported to the state longitudinal student data system.
- Public assistance interpreters
- RCW 74.04.025 requires the Department of Social and Health Services, the Health Care Authority, and the Office of Administrative Hearings to provide bilingual services so non-English-speaking applicants are not denied benefits, using contracts with language access providers where staff cannot cover the need, and requires DSHS to certify, authorize, and qualify those providers through oral and written testing.
- School interpreter credentialing
- RCW 28A.183.080 directs the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Professional Educator Standards Board to establish credentialing requirements for school interpreters, in consultation with the state language access advisory committee.
- Who pays in agency proceedings
- Under RCW 2.43.081, when a legal proceeding is initiated by a government agency, the governmental body that initiated it bears the cost of the interpreter.
Sources
- Washington Courts: Court Interpreters and Language Access
- Washington AOC: List of Languages with Credentialed Court Interpreters (updated Sept. 11, 2026)
- RCW Chapter 2.43, Interpreters for non-English-speaking persons
- RCW Chapter 2.42, Interpreters in legal proceedings (deaf and hard of hearing persons)
- RCW Chapter 28A.183, Language access in schools
- RCW 74.04.025, Bilingual services for non-English-speaking applicants and recipients
Seattle by the numbers
- Residents
- 754,195
- Speak a language other than English at home
- 170,826 23.7%
- Speak English less than “very well”
- 51,740 7.2%
- Limited-English households
- 17,444 4.8%
- Born outside the U.S.
- 151,989 20.2%
Where Seattle 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.
- China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan23,540
- India18,060
- Mexico9,746
- Vietnam9,568
- Canada8,173
- Philippines8,092
- Korea6,126
- Ethiopia4,814
Detailed languages in King County, Washington
The Census Bureau publishes individual languages for counties, not for cities. These are the most-spoken languages other than English in King County, Washington.
- Spanish159,850
- Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)127,380
- Vietnamese43,645
- Hindi35,583
- Korean30,953
- Amharic, Somali, or other Afro-Asiatic languages29,282
- Russian26,971
- Tagalog (incl. Filipino)26,572
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001, King County, Washington.
Language services in Seattle
City department language access plans
Certified translation of vital documents and notices into Seattle's top languages, including Somali, Amharic, Tigrinya, and Oromo, delivered with a signed statement of accuracy.
Municipal court proceedings
Court-certified interpreters, where Washington credentials the language, for hearings in languages on the court's list such as Punjabi, Samoan, and Swahili.
School family meetings
On-site or video interpreters for Seattle Public Schools meetings in languages beyond the district's five in-house languages.
King County vital documents
Translation of notices, forms, signage, and web content into King County's top six languages for county agencies and their contractors.
Newcomer services
Interpreters by phone, video, or in person for agencies serving newly arrived Ukrainian and Afghan families.
Seattle questions
Which languages should City of Seattle materials be translated into?
OIRA's 2023 ranking lists 15: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Somali, Tagalog, Korean, Amharic, Russian, Japanese, Tigrinya, Arabic, Oromo, Hindi, French, and Ukrainian. The city no longer uses required tiers; departments choose languages by community need, and OIRA recommends Traditional Chinese for written materials.
How do I request an interpreter at Seattle Municipal Court?
Call the court at (206) 684-5600. The court serves people with limited English proficiency and people who are Deaf, hard of hearing, or DeafBlind, and appoints credentialed interpreters whenever possible.
Which languages does Seattle Public Schools translate into?
Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese, free for all families. Families who speak other languages get over-the-phone interpretation through district contractors by asking their school.
What does King County require of its agencies?
Under King County Code Chapter 2.15, each agency's language assistance plan must name the vital documents and public communications it translates into the county's top six languages, and interpretation must be provided at no cost and without unreasonable delay.
What languages are spoken in Seattle?
23.7% of Seattle residents age 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, and 7.2% speak English less than “very well.” Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese leads, followed by Spanish and Vietnamese. The most common countries of birth among residents born abroad are China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan, India, and Mexico.
How many Seattle households have limited English?
17,444 of 363,466 households (4.8%), 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 Washington?
Washington Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) Language Access Team, which supports the courts' language access work; the AOC credentials spoken-language court interpreters under RCW 2.43.070, General Rule 11 establishes the Interpreter and Language Access Commission (ILAC), and local trial courts schedule interpreters. As of September 2026 the AOC lists certified court interpreters in 16 languages (Amharic, Arabic, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Khmer, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, and Vietnamese) and registered interpreters in 38 languages (several overlapping with the certified list), from Albanian, Dari, and Farsi to Somali, Tigrinya, Ukrainian, and Yoruba.
Do you provide on-site interpreters in Seattle?
Yes. We schedule interpreters in person in Seattle and across Washington, and by phone and video nationwide, in 250+ languages including Chinese, including Mandarin and Cantonese and ASL. Book less common languages as early as you can.
Do you provide conference and meeting interpreters in Seattle?
Yes. We staff conferences, conventions, trade shows, seminars, corporate training, and client meetings in Seattle 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.
Sources
- City of Seattle Language Access Plan (2025, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Seattle Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs: 2023 City of Seattle Top Languages (updated Feb. 1, 2024, PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Seattle Municipal Court: Language Access Plan, effective Aug. 1, 2025 (DOCX) (opens in a new tab)
- Seattle Municipal Court: Interpreter Services for the Public (opens in a new tab)
- Seattle Public Schools: Translation and Interpretation (opens in a new tab)
- King County: Language access (opens in a new tab)
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