Judges warn interpreter costs may force midyear budget changes

Judges and judicial staff told the Noble County Council during the 2026 budget hearing that translation and interpreter costs are rising and could require midyear budget adjustments. A judge who spoke about court operations said the courts rely on a mix of free Supreme Court language-line services and paid, Supreme Court–certified interpreters for plea and trial proceedings; the judge estimated a typical interpreter arrangement could cost roughly $4,000.

The judge said translators are critical to ensure defendants understand proceedings and that some cases require specialty dialect interpretation — sometimes doubling costs because two interpreters are needed. "They're translating. So we could get through and work, on good grounds, I think, for a a guilty," the judge said when describing plea hearings. Court presenters asked the council to maintain the current language line or preserve specific budget lines so they would not have to return midyear to seek additional funds if state support changes.

Council members and court staff discussed alternatives, including using centralized language portals and minimizing on-site interpreter hours when appropriate. The judge said the courts try to use the least expensive certified option they can but stressed that cutting interpreter capacity would harm due-process protections: "If they state stops paying for it midyear, then we'll have to be back to see it."