How Court Interpreters Work in the 18th Judicial Circuit (Brevard & Seminole) — Who Gets One, What They Do, and Limits

The 18th Judicial Circuit provides foreign-language interpreters for non-English and limited English proficient (L.E.P.) litigants in felony proceedings. If your loved one is the person facing charges and can't meaningfully understand what's happening in English, interpreter services are part of how the court makes the hearing work.

Misdemeanor cases get the same coverage. The court provides interpreters for non-English and L.E.P. litigants even in lower-level criminal proceedings.

Interpreter coverage isn't limited to adult criminal court. The 18th Judicial Circuit also provides interpreters for non-English and L.E.P. litigants in juvenile delinquency cases, dependency cases, and termination of parental rights proceedings. If the case involves a child's situation or a parent's rights, language access is part of the process.

Several non-criminal proceedings also qualify. Interpreters are provided for non-English and L.E.P. litigants in injunctions for protection, child support and paternity matters, civil commitment proceedings, and guardianship cases.

Interpreters aren't just for defendants or the person who filed a case. The court also provides foreign-language interpreters for non-English and L.E.P. victims and witnesses when they testify in covered proceedings. If you're supporting someone who needs to take the stand, this rule applies to them too.

One big exception: spoken-language interpreter services are not provided for people summoned for jury service. If you're responding to a juror summons, don't assume the court's interpreter program covers that situation.

Even when an interpreter is available, they're not a general "helper" for everything that happens around court. Court interpreters in the 18th Judicial Circuit can't hold discussions or offer interpretation to defendants outside the courtroom unless the court directs it - and even then, the defendant's lawyer must be present. The judge can allow one narrow type of in-court help: the interpreter may assist an attorney with a brief "in-custody" client exchange (like conveying or updating a plea offer), but only inside the courtroom and only under the presiding judge's direction.

Interpreter services don't work well if nobody raises the issue early. If your loved one has a lawyer, the lawyer is usually the one who flags the language need with the court. Someone representing themselves generally has to speak up about needing an interpreter. The fastest way to avoid delays? Make sure the court knows - before the hearing - that the person involved is non-English or L.E.P.

Inside the courtroom, the interpreter's job is tied to what's happening during the proceeding. Interpreters may sight-translate brief court documents during a hearing - reading a short document in English and interpreting it into the person's language on the spot while the case is being heard.

Families often expect the interpreter to help the lawyer and the person in custody talk privately before or after the hearing. The court's interpreter usually can't do that. What's allowed is much narrower: the interpreter may assist with a brief in-court "in-custody" exchange - like passing along or updating an offer - only within the courtroom and only under the presiding judge's direction. Court interpreters generally don't go with attorneys into holding cells for in-custody interviews. The only exception is a unique situation where the court itself must proceed to a holding cell to advise a defendant of certain consequences and the defendant refuses to leave.

Once the hearing ends, don't count on the court interpreter to stick around and help your loved one "figure out what just happened." The rule is clear: court interpreters shall not assist defendants after court, except to receive court minutes, judgments, and sentencing paperwork. If your loved one needs help understanding next steps, that's something to handle through their attorney - not the court interpreter.

There's one specific, limited type of paperwork help the court interpreter may provide: if the court requests it, interpreters may assist non-English-speaking individuals in preparing an affidavit to determine indigent status. This isn't general form-filling help - it's tied to the court's request and the indigency determination process.

Sight-translation has limits. Court interpreters aren't required to translate lengthy documents during proceedings - including disposition reports or case plans - because of how long those documents can be. If you're expecting a long report to be fully translated in open court, it may not happen through the court interpreter.

Courtroom setup can be confusing, especially if you're watching someone struggle to follow what's being said. In the 18th Judicial Circuit, court interpreters shall not sit in the jury box with a defendant. Even if that seems like it would make communication easier, it's not how the interpreter is positioned.

Holding-cell access is even more restricted. Court interpreters shall not accompany an attorney into a holding cell to conduct in-custody client interviews. The only exception is a narrow one: when the court itself proceeds to a holding cell to advise a defendant of certain consequences and the defendant refuses to leave. Outside that unusual scenario, plan on interpretation happening in the courtroom, not the holding area.

If private attorney-client communication needs more language support than the court interpreter can provide, there's another option. An attorney may bring their own interpreter for any proceeding - but only for private consultation with their client. That private interpreter won't handle the on-the-record interpreting; the court's interpreter does that part.

Priority Rules

• ✓ Capital cases
• ✓ Cases where speedy trial was not waived and the end of the speedy-trial time period is approaching soonest
• ✓ Then, cases are prioritized by the severity of the offense

When two cases compete for the same interpreter and the question becomes "which case is more severe," that decision doesn't get argued out in the hallway. The chief judge - or the chief judge's designee - decides which case gets precedence.

Interpreter needs don't always happen Monday through Friday. If the need arises during a weekend or holiday, the trial clerk uses the language line service. After-hours language access may look different than having an in-person interpreter in the courtroom.

If the case involves foreign-language audio or video - like recordings a party wants to use as evidence - don't expect the court interpreter to translate it live during the hearing. The party offering the recordings must have them transcribed and translated into English at their own expense (or as provided for indigent criminal defendants) and must provide copies in advance to opposing counsel and the court. Court interpreters shall not interpret audio or video recordings during proceedings.