The District of Columbia Courts are committed to ensuring access to justice for:
- Individuals with a limited ability to speak, read, or understand English
- Individuals who are deaf or hard-of-hearing
Language access is and has long been a top priority of the Courts. We understand that language access results in meaningful access to the judicial process and court services.
Through the Office of Court Interpreting Services (OCIS), the Courts provide a full range of language assistance services at no cost to the court user. Services include:
- Interpretation services for court proceedings and events
- Translations of court forms, orders, notices, summonses, and informational material
- Information on the Courts' website and mobile app in multiple languages
- Signage in English and Spanish throughout the courthouse
- Bilingual (Spanish-speaking) employees who are available at public service counters to help
In a typical, non-pandemic year, the Courts provides language services in over 50 languages for an average of 6,000 interpretation events. 70% of all language assistance requests are from Spanish-speaking court users. Other frequently requested languages include American Sign Language, Amharic, French, Arabic, Korean, Tigrinya, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. All court interpreters and translators satisfy our strict standards, which include certification and the completion of mandatory training.
To ensure that judicial officers and court staff know their responsibilities to ensure language access for the diverse population we serve, language access training is required for all employees.