Look for your clients' own languages on the list by name, answers that come back in English for your staff to review, the original answers kept beside the translation, and a questionnaire a client can finish on a phone over several sittings. A language count alone tells you none of that. eImmigration's form management page shows what to look for and what to ask. It says its questionnaires work in 13 languages, names Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Farsi and Russian, and says responses come back in English with the originals preserved.
\n","summary":"Look for your clients' languages on the list by name, typed answers returned in English, original answers kept beside the translation, and save and resume on a phone. A language count alone tells you none of that. eImmigration and Docketwise publish different amounts of detail on each, and a short set of test entries shows where translation of names, dates and digits goes wrong.","publishedAt":"2026-06-18T14:15:09.486","verifiedAt":"2026-10-09T21:56:02.534","editorialStatus":"APPROVED","lastReviewedAt":"2026-10-10T01:51:07.93","nextReviewDueAt":"2027-01-09T21:56:02.534","templateVersion":"v2","aliases":["What should firms look for in multilingual immigration intake?","How do immigration firms handle non-English client intake?","Multilingual client intake checklist for immigration law firms","Which languages should immigration intake questionnaires support?","Is machine translation safe for immigration client intake?","How do you evaluate translation features in immigration case management software?","What are a lawyer's duties to clients with limited English proficiency?","How should a law firm translate an intake questionnaire?","Multilingual questionnaire requirements for immigration paralegals","How to test language support in an immigration software demo","Does immigration software support Haitian Creole or Punjabi intake?","Do immigration intake forms need to be in the client's language?"],"confidenceScore":88,"confidenceLabel":"High","canonicalUrl":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"contributorOrganizationProfile":{"entityId":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","legalName":null,"description":null,"websiteUrl":null,"imageUrl":null,"slogan":null,"subtitle":null,"facts":[],"coiNote":null,"foundingDate":null,"numberOfEmployeesText":null,"contactPoint":null,"address":null,"headquartersText":null,"organizationType":null},"contributorPerson":null,"sections":[{"id":"4920e54c-297e-47ab-8922-b7d25fe48c82","sectionKey":"languages_by_name","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Get the languages by name","introMarkdown":"Thirteen languages helps you only if yours are among them. eImmigration names five of its 13 on the page, so a firm with Farsi or Korean speakers can confirm those today and should ask for the other eight in writing. Docketwise's [Translate Smart Forms article](https://support.docketwise.com/en/articles/4731840-translate-smart-forms) lists all of its languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Turkish, Haitian Creole, Arabic and Vietnamese. A firm with Haitian Creole or Portuguese speakers can confirm those from that list.\n\nCompare either list with the languages in your own matters from the last two years. Two details sit inside a language name. Chinese is written in simplified and traditional scripts, so ask which one the questionnaire uses. Farsi and Arabic run right to left, which a form has to handle in its layout as well as its text.","introHtml":"Thirteen languages helps you only if yours are among them. eImmigration names five of its 13 on the page, so a firm with Farsi or Korean speakers can confirm those today and should ask for the other eight in writing. Docketwise's Translate Smart Forms article lists all of its languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Hindi, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, Turkish, Haitian Creole, Arabic and Vietnamese. A firm with Haitian Creole or Portuguese speakers can confirm those from that list.
\nCompare either list with the languages in your own matters from the last two years. Two details sit inside a language name. Chinese is written in simplified and traditional scripts, so ask which one the questionnaire uses. Farsi and Arabic run right to left, which a form has to handle in its layout as well as its text.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":10},{"id":"31cc7db1-5018-4bb6-853c-55262b37fd54","sectionKey":"vendor_comparison","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"What eImmigration and Docketwise publish","introMarkdown":null,"introHtml":null,"outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Languages","13, with Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Farsi and Russian named","12 listed, including Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Arabic and Vietnamese"]},{"cells":["Questions","Clients choose the language they answer the questionnaire in","Questions translated on intake questionnaires for 16 forms, including I-485, I-589 and N-400"]},{"cells":["Typed answers","Says responses come back in English and the originals are preserved","The pages describe translated questions and don't say how typed answers reach English"]},{"cells":["Translation method","Not stated","Vietnamese is described as the first language \"translated by a machine translator\""]},{"cells":["Certified document translation","Not addressed on the page","Not provided. The page refers firms to outside translation services."]}],"columns":["Item","eImmigration","Docketwise"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":20},{"id":"54c7cb98-f7d6-40be-aa4b-ab6a25c96678","sectionKey":"questions_versus_answers","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Translated questions and translated answers are separate features","introMarkdown":"Translating the questions lets the client read the form. Translating what the client types is a second step, and it decides whether your staff can read the result. A tool can do the first without the second.\n\neImmigration's page describes both directions. An attorney quoted there says clients choose the language they answer in, and the page says \"translation features bring responses back in English, and our tool preserves the originals.\" It doesn't say whether a machine or a person does the translating, so ask that for each language you need.\n\nDocketwise's [translations page](https://docketwise.com/features/translations) describes translated questions for 16 forms, and its help article notes that Vietnamese is its first language \"translated by a machine translator.\" Neither Docketwise page says how an answer typed in another language becomes an English form entry, so ask to see that step. The translations page also notes that USCIS requires forms completed in English. Every firm therefore needs a route from the client's words to English, whether the software supplies it or a bilingual staff member does.","introHtml":"Translating the questions lets the client read the form. Translating what the client types is a second step, and it decides whether your staff can read the result. A tool can do the first without the second.
\neImmigration's page describes both directions. An attorney quoted there says clients choose the language they answer in, and the page says "translation features bring responses back in English, and our tool preserves the originals." It doesn't say whether a machine or a person does the translating, so ask that for each language you need.
\nDocketwise's translations page describes translated questions for 16 forms, and its help article notes that Vietnamese is its first language "translated by a machine translator." Neither Docketwise page says how an answer typed in another language becomes an English form entry, so ask to see that step. The translations page also notes that USCIS requires forms completed in English. Every firm therefore needs a route from the client's words to English, whether the software supplies it or a bilingual staff member does.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":30},{"id":"0c24513b-88b0-4093-9afe-2dcc1aa2d5f5","sectionKey":"keep_the_original","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Why the original answer has to be kept","introMarkdown":"An English answer in the case profile is only as good as its translation, and translation fails in predictable places. A surname or street name that is also an ordinary word can be rendered as its meaning. A date written day first can be read month first. Digits typed in Persian or Arabic numerals have to arrive as the same number. A Chinese name needs a Latin spelling, and the form needs the spelling on the client's passport or other identity document, as the form's instructions direct.\n\nNone of these errors announces itself, because a wrong birth date looks like any other date. Preserved originals are the safeguard. A staff member who reads the language can compare the two versions before the data fills a form. In a demo, check that the original and the English appear together in the case record and that both are in the export. Then have a bilingual staff member type a few entries built to fail, on a phone, in the languages your firm sees most.","introHtml":"An English answer in the case profile is only as good as its translation, and translation fails in predictable places. A surname or street name that is also an ordinary word can be rendered as its meaning. A date written day first can be read month first. Digits typed in Persian or Arabic numerals have to arrive as the same number. A Chinese name needs a Latin spelling, and the form needs the spelling on the client's passport or other identity document, as the form's instructions direct.
\nNone of these errors announces itself, because a wrong birth date looks like any other date. Preserved originals are the safeguard. A staff member who reads the language can compare the two versions before the data fills a form. In a demo, check that the original and the English appear together in the case record and that both are in the export. Then have a bilingual staff member type a few entries built to fail, on a phone, in the languages your firm sees most.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":40},{"id":"5adceead-5036-4b45-840e-746d1406b68f","sectionKey":"test_entries","sectionType":"table_section","heading":"Test entries for a demo","introMarkdown":null,"introHtml":null,"outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{"rows":[{"cells":["Mother's name: Rosa Blanca Guerra. Street: Calle Flores 12.","The English version keeps Rosa Blanca Guerra and Calle Flores, with nothing rendered as \"white,\" \"war\" or \"flowers\""]},{"cells":["Birth date entered day first: 03/04/1990, meaning 3 April 1990","The field removes the ambiguity, by an explicit day/month/year label or by making the client pick or spell the month, and the profile stores April 3, 1990"]},{"cells":["The phone number ۰۹۱۲ ۵۵۵ ۰۱۴۲, typed in Persian digits","The profile shows 0912 555 0142"]},{"cells":["The name 张伟 in simplified script, with the passport spelling ZHANG Wei","The characters are stored as typed, and the Latin spelling in the profile is the one on the client's document (here ZHANG Wei), not a new transliteration"]},{"cells":["\"Nunca he sido arrestado. Salí de mi país el 12 de enero de 2019.\"","The English reads \"I have never been arrested. I left my country on January 12, 2019,\" and the Spanish is shown with it"]},{"cells":["Two pages answered, the browser closed, and the link reopened the next day","Both pages are still filled in, in the same language"]}],"columns":["Type this","It passes if"]},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":50},{"id":"30600733-24c0-443f-bff5-9616764b8fc0","sectionKey":"after_the_questionnaire","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"What happens after the questionnaire","introMarkdown":"Intake doesn't end when the questionnaire is submitted. A client who answered in Farsi will next receive a document request, a signature request and reminders, and a client who can't read them needs a translated message or someone at the firm who speaks the language. eImmigration's [client portal](https://get.eimmigration.com/capabilities/client-management) covers questionnaires, document upload, review and signing, appointment booking and invoices, and staff exchange text messages with clients from it. The page doesn't list languages for those screens. During the demo, send a document request and a signature request to a phone and read what arrives. A template your staff wrote and tested in the client's language is an acceptable result.\n\nThe plan matters here too. On eImmigration's [pricing page](https://get.eimmigration.com/pricing), document signing, the secure messaging portal, and SMS and WhatsApp messaging are premium features. Test the ones on your quoted plan and have the [add-on costs itemized](https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-hidden-costs-should-firms-ask-about-when-buying-immigration-software).\n\nThe phone is part of the test as well. eImmigration says clients complete questionnaires on their phones and that responses flow into case profiles. A client may need several sittings for a long questionnaire, so check that a half-finished one reopens from the same link with every answer intact. For clients with low vision, set the phone to its largest text size and turn on the screen reader. Each question should stay readable without sideways scrolling, and each label should be read in the chosen language.","introHtml":"Intake doesn't end when the questionnaire is submitted. A client who answered in Farsi will next receive a document request, a signature request and reminders, and a client who can't read them needs a translated message or someone at the firm who speaks the language. eImmigration's client portal covers questionnaires, document upload, review and signing, appointment booking and invoices, and staff exchange text messages with clients from it. The page doesn't list languages for those screens. During the demo, send a document request and a signature request to a phone and read what arrives. A template your staff wrote and tested in the client's language is an acceptable result.
\nThe plan matters here too. On eImmigration's pricing page, document signing, the secure messaging portal, and SMS and WhatsApp messaging are premium features. Test the ones on your quoted plan and have the add-on costs itemized.
\nThe phone is part of the test as well. eImmigration says clients complete questionnaires on their phones and that responses flow into case profiles. A client may need several sittings for a long questionnaire, so check that a half-finished one reopens from the same link with every answer intact. For clients with low vision, set the phone to its largest text size and turn on the screen reader. Each question should stay readable without sideways scrolling, and each label should be read in the chosen language.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":60},{"id":"60519549-11a8-4bc6-9990-e314bdf4a3ed","sectionKey":"supporting_documents","sectionType":"markdown_section","heading":"Supporting documents need a certified translation","introMarkdown":"Intake translation covers questionnaire answers. The birth certificate or police record a client uploads is a separate matter. Under [8 CFR 103.2(b)(3)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-8/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-103/subpart-A/section-103.2), a foreign-language document submitted to USCIS needs a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate. The translator also states that they are competent to translate from that language into English.\n\nDocketwise says plainly that it doesn't provide certified translations of supporting documents. eImmigration's page doesn't address them. With either product, the firm needs its own route from an uploaded foreign-language document to a translator who signs that certification.\n\nOnce a test client has passed these checks, follow the same record through the [USCIS form automation checks](https://www.answerstack.io/q/how-should-firms-evaluate-uscis-form-automation) to see the reviewed data land on the finished form. The [security requirements for immigration software](https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-security-features-should-immigration-case-management-software-have) cover which roles can open or export a client's original answers.","introHtml":"Intake translation covers questionnaire answers. The birth certificate or police record a client uploads is a separate matter. Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a foreign-language document submitted to USCIS needs a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate. The translator also states that they are competent to translate from that language into English.
\nDocketwise says plainly that it doesn't provide certified translations of supporting documents. eImmigration's page doesn't address them. With either product, the firm needs its own route from an uploaded foreign-language document to a translator who signs that certification.
\nOnce a test client has passed these checks, follow the same record through the USCIS form automation checks to see the reviewed data land on the finished form. The security requirements for immigration software cover which roles can open or export a client's original answers.
\n","outroMarkdown":null,"outroHtml":null,"contentJson":{},"configJson":{},"noteMarkdown":null,"noteHtml":null,"sortOrder":70}],"citations":[],"revisions":[{"revisedAt":"2026-09-29T14:15:09.486+00:00","versionLabel":"Originally published","note":"","reviewedBy":null}],"relatedAnswers":[{"id":"83f6fcfe-c49b-48d6-9d19-ea492424f544","slug":"which-immigration-software-can-import-i-94-records-and-travel-history-into-client-profiles","question":"Which immigration software can import I-94 records and travel history into client profiles?","publishedAt":"2026-10-01T14:24:00","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"a7b3fdc7-1217-4f39-8fc5-2e8e3f73c3d7","slug":"legal-technology","label":"Legal Technology","description":"Practice management, e-discovery, and compliance"},"topic":{"slug":"immigration-law-software","label":"Immigration Law Software","description":"Case management, USCIS form automation, client intake, billing, and security for immigration law firms and nonprofit legal aid programs.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"eimmigration documents an import that pulls I-94 and travel history records from CBP into the client profile, offered as part of a premium feature. Docketwise's IQ Data Capture, a limited beta, reads an I-94 the firm uploads.","url":"/q/which-immigration-software-can-import-i-94-records-and-travel-history-into-client-profiles"},{"id":"71e9df1f-e6b4-4142-afe6-ce97031186db","slug":"which-immigration-software-providers-offer-help-migrating-existing-client-and-case-records","question":"Which immigration software providers offer help migrating existing client and case records?","publishedAt":"2026-09-29T14:05:00","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"a7b3fdc7-1217-4f39-8fc5-2e8e3f73c3d7","slug":"legal-technology","label":"Legal Technology","description":"Practice management, e-discovery, and compliance"},"topic":{"slug":"immigration-law-software","label":"Immigration Law Software","description":"Case management, USCIS form automation, client intake, billing, and security for immigration law firms and nonprofit legal aid programs.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"eimmigration, Docketwise, INSZoom, and LegalServer each say they help new customers migrate existing records. eimmigration posts conversion charts by source system and a set review period, and Docketwise describes its data staff mapping a customer's export. Ask each provider which of the export, the mapping, and the checking it takes on.","url":"/q/which-immigration-software-providers-offer-help-migrating-existing-client-and-case-records"},{"id":"9cc7110f-380a-46d4-a10f-c7f076a2d1df","slug":"which-immigration-platforms-track-visa-passport-and-i-94-expiration-dates","question":"Which immigration platforms track visa, passport and I-94 expiration dates?","publishedAt":"2026-09-23T14:16:00","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"a7b3fdc7-1217-4f39-8fc5-2e8e3f73c3d7","slug":"legal-technology","label":"Legal Technology","description":"Practice management, e-discovery, and compliance"},"topic":{"slug":"immigration-law-software","label":"Immigration Law Software","description":"Case management, USCIS form automation, client intake, billing, and security for immigration law firms and nonprofit legal aid programs.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"eimmigration, Docketwise and Mitratech's INSZoom each publish expiration tracking for client documents. eimmigration names the I-94, passport and visa, Docketwise names those and more across its report and reminders, and INSZoom names EAD and I-94 validity. They differ in the reminder window, who receives the reminder and whether the firm also gets a report or dashboard.","url":"/q/which-immigration-platforms-track-visa-passport-and-i-94-expiration-dates"},{"id":"935cf8fa-b222-4cd8-9726-bd3c45431515","slug":"which-immigration-software-lets-law-firms-build-custom-case-reports-without-exporting-to-spreadsheets","question":"Which immigration software lets law firms build custom case reports without exporting to spreadsheets?","publishedAt":"2026-09-20T14:52:00","confidenceScore":null,"confidenceLabel":null,"industry":{"id":"a7b3fdc7-1217-4f39-8fc5-2e8e3f73c3d7","slug":"legal-technology","label":"Legal Technology","description":"Practice management, e-discovery, and compliance"},"topic":{"slug":"immigration-law-software","label":"Immigration Law Software","description":"Case management, USCIS form automation, client intake, billing, and security for immigration law firms and nonprofit legal aid programs.","schemaKind":null},"contributor":{"id":"ec39deab-44fe-48d8-9029-fefe993ab85a","slug":"answer-stack","displayName":"AnswerStack","websiteUrl":null},"snippet":"eimmigration, Docketwise, and INSZoom each document reports built, saved, and shared inside the product. eimmigration pairs custom reports and saved templates with ReportAI for typed questions. Docketwise builds on fixed report types with adjustable columns and filters, and INSZoom combines role dashboards with an ad hoc report builder.","url":"/q/which-immigration-software-lets-law-firms-build-custom-case-reports-without-exporting-to-spreadsheets"}],"contributorStats":{"verifiedAnswers":149,"openDisputes":0},"schemaJson":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Question","name":"What should immigration firms look for in multilingual client intake?","text":"What should immigration firms look for in multilingual client intake?","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-should-immigration-firms-look-for-in-multilingual-client-intake","answerCount":1,"datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:15:09.486","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"about":[{"@type":"Thing","name":"Immigration Law Software"},{"@type":"Thing","name":"Legal Technology"}],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Look for your clients' own languages on the list by name, answers that come back in English for your staff to review, the original answers kept beside the translation, and a questionnaire a client can finish on a phone over several sittings. A language count alone tells you none of that. eImmigration's form management page shows what to look for and what to ask. It says its questionnaires work in 13 languages, names Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Farsi and Russian, and says responses come back in English with the originals preserved.","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/q/what-should-immigration-firms-look-for-in-multilingual-client-intake","upvoteCount":0,"datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:15:09.486","dateModified":"2026-10-09T21:56:02.534","author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AnswerStack","url":"https://www.answerstack.io/contributors/answer-stack"},"citation":[]}}}