Florida Statute 90.606 - Full Text and Legal Analysis

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title VII
EVIDENCE

Chapter 90
EVIDENCE CODE

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F.S. 90.606

90.606 Interpreters and translators.—

(1)(a) When a judge determines that a witness cannot hear or understand the English language, or cannot express himself or herself in English sufficiently to be understood, an interpreter who is duly qualified to interpret for the witness shall be sworn to do so.

(b) This section is not limited to persons who speak a language other than English, but applies also to the language and descriptions of any person, such as a child or a person who is mentally or developmentally disabled, who cannot be reasonably understood, or who cannot understand questioning, without the aid of an interpreter.

(2) A person who serves in the role of interpreter or translator in any action or proceeding is subject to all the provisions of this chapter relating to witnesses.

(3) An interpreter shall take an oath that he or she will make a true interpretation of the questions asked and the answers given and that the interpreter will make a true translation into English of any writing which he or she is required by his or her duties to decipher or translate.

History.—s. 1, ch. 76-237; s. 1, ch. 77-77; s. 22, ch. 78-361; s. 1, ch. 78-379; s. 2, ch. 85-53; s. 485, ch. 95-147.

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Amendments to 90.606

Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 90.606

Total Results: 19

Monte v. State

443 So. 2d 339

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 28, 1983 | Docket: 1458538

Cited 8 times | Published

reveal whether the specific oath required by section 90.606(3) was administered, and neither an agreement

Balderrama v. State

433 So. 2d 1311

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jul 1, 1983 | Docket: 1425858

Cited 8 times | Published

interpret for the witness shall be sworn to do so. § 90.606(3), Fla. Stat. (1981). If a defendant does not

Tehrani v. State

764 So. 2d 895, 2000 WL 1133063

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 11, 2000 | Docket: 470355

Cited 6 times | Published

interpret for the witness shall be sworn to do so. Section 90.606, Florida Statutes (1997). In this case, the

Ortega v. State

721 So. 2d 350, 1998 WL 736349

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 23, 1998 | Docket: 1322970

Cited 5 times | Published

forth for interpreters and translators under section 90.606, Florida Statutes (1995). In Hutchens v. State

Rodriguez v. State

664 So. 2d 1077, 1995 WL 712590

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Dec 6, 1995 | Docket: 1229627

Cited 5 times | Published

to have the interpreter sworn as required by Section 90.606, Florida Statutes (1993). We conclude that

Mesidor v. State

521 So. 2d 333, 1988 WL 18688

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 9, 1988 | Docket: 147496

Cited 5 times | Published

proceedings, the trial court failed to comply with § 90.606, Florida Statutes (1985), by failing to swear

Gopar-Santana v. State

862 So. 2d 54, 2003 WL 22259453

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 3, 2003 | Docket: 1762768

Cited 4 times | Published

721 So.2d 350, 351 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998); see also § 90.606(1)(a), (2), Fla. Stat. (2001) (requiring an interpreter

Kaelin v. State

410 So. 2d 1355

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Mar 3, 1982 | Docket: 477763

Cited 3 times | Published

this decision was an abuse of discretion. See Section 90.606, Florida Statutes, Law Revision Council Note

BCS, SRL v. Wise

910 So. 2d 871, 2005 WL 1842543

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 5, 2005 | Docket: 1494759

Cited 1 times | Published

have been translated into English pursuant to section 90.606(3).[5] We therefore remand to the lower court

Carlos De La Melena v. Joanna Patricia Montezuma Panez

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Nov 22, 2024 | Docket: 69404734

Published

sustaining Mother’s objection to this evidence. See § 90.606(3), Fla. Stat.; Blanco. v. State, 452 So. 2d 520

LOUIS ATALLAH and BAM BAM ENTERTAINMENT, LLC v. TRANSWORLD BUSINESS BROKERS OF FLORIDA, LLC

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 20, 2020 | Docket: 17178721

Published

native language. Transworld argues that under section 90.606(1)(a), Florida Statutes (2017), when a judge

Marlon Joel Rivera v. State of Florida

182 So. 3d 861, 2016 Fla. App. LEXIS 251, 2016 WL 71453

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jan 6, 2016 | Docket: 3026042

Published

language-impaired witnesses, see § 90.606, Fla. Stat. (2012), there is no Florida statute

Lopez v. State

153 So. 3d 927, 2014 WL 3971543

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Aug 15, 2014 | Docket: 1002846

Published

independent official translator was sworn pursuant to section 90.606, Florida Statutes (2008), and testified that

Perez-Sovias v. State

95 So. 3d 327, 2012 WL 3023170, 2012 Fla. App. LEXIS 11968

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jul 25, 2012 | Docket: 60311186

Published

official language of the State of Florida.” Section 90.606 of the Florida Statutes acknowledges this mandate

Guardian Ad Litem Program v. O.R.

45 So. 3d 974, 2010 Fla. App. LEXIS 15560, 2010 WL 3984709

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Oct 13, 2010 | Docket: 1929147

Published

minority."). As the Department says, [p]ursuant to § 90.606, Fla. Stat. (2010), when the lower court makes

Obando v. State

988 So. 2d 87, 2008 WL 2744246

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jul 16, 2008 | Docket: 1722166

Published

interpreters during testimony is governed by section 90.606, Florida Statutes (2006), and the Florida Rules

Echemendia v. State

735 So. 2d 555, 1999 Fla. App. LEXIS 7269, 1999 WL 345603

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: Jun 2, 1999 | Docket: 64788879

Published

charged, and this appeal followed. Pursuant to section 90.606(3), Florida Statute (1997), an interpreter

Apolinar v. FL. UNEMPLOYMENT APPEALS COM'N

710 So. 2d 199, 1998 WL 210830

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 1, 1998 | Docket: 1731422

Published

Spanish interpreter for the remand hearing. See § 90.606, Fla. Stat. (1995). Reversed and remanded. CAMPBELL

R & D Sod Farms, Inc. v. Vestal

432 So. 2d 622, 1983 Fla. App. LEXIS 19547

District Court of Appeal of Florida | Filed: May 25, 1983 | Docket: 64597384

Published

through an interpreter who can understand him. Section 90.606, Florida Statutes requires that an interpreter