No. Iowa’s court rules prohibit the appointment of an interpreter who might be biased in favor of or against a participant in a court proceeding, including but not limited to a family member or friend of a participant in a proceeding. See Iowa Court Rule 47.3(10). It is also very likely that friends or family members do not have the interpreting skills or extensive vocabularies in both languages to be a qualified court interpreter. You may bring a friend or family member to court, but that person may not act as an interpreter during the court proceeding.
