South Carolina has a unified court system. However, many attorneys have asked us this question because South Carolina doesn’t seem to have a uniform standard system for scheduling interpreters. For this reason, we would suggest always starting at the top.
Court Administration: This office was established in 1973 to assist the Chief Justice (currently Donald W. Beatty) in administering the state judicial system. Visit Court Administration, call (803) 734-1800 and ask to speak with the court interpreter director, Karama Bailey. While seeking information, you can express your desire for clear uniform direction statewide in the scheduling of court interpreters, since court administration has the power to make appropriate adjustments to the system. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the oil.
Contact Clerk of Court: The clerk and assistant clerks should provide interpreter information for his or her county (or court; Greenville General Sessions and Greenville Family Court have different clerks). Click this link to a list of all the Clerks of Court for each county in South Carolina.
Bear in mind that most civil matters, except for Family Court, will most likely require that you retain the interpreter privately. However, the Clerk of Court should still be able to provide you with a list of certified interpreters.
In the meantime, you may want to upload from our website SCCA262 or SCCA262F and a Request for Interpreter template, complete them, and e-mail or fax them to the assistant clerk of court in the county where your proceeding requires an interpreter.
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