South Dakota Odyssey E-Filing Exhibit Requirements for Foreign-Language Documents and Screenshots

For a South Dakota state-court civil filing, the main obstacle is often preparing foreign-language exhibits and phone screenshots for Odyssey File & Serve. The South Dakota Odyssey e-filing exhibit requirements call for PDFs, black-and-white files, and careful control of file size. UJS rejection reasons also flag mobile screenshots that do not transmit correctly. A translation can make foreign-language evidence understandable, but it cannot fix an incompatible file or guarantee that a judge will admit the exhibit.

Key takeaways

• Prepare PDFs for the portal. UJS File & Serve instructions say documents must be PDFs, although the statute lists other approved formats. Searchable PDFs are preferred.
• Do not upload color files or raw phone screenshots. UJS lists both as technical rejection reasons. If color carries meaning, contact the case county’s Clerk about an approved alternative before changing the image.
• Use 5 MB per document and 25 MB per envelope as your working limits. UJS’s detailed troubleshooting guide and October 2025 rejection list state these limits. Split a larger record into logical, labeled volumes.
• A motion attachment is not necessarily a trial exhibit. South Dakota law generally excludes trial or hearing exhibits from ordinary electronic filing unless the court directs otherwise.

Who this guide is for

This guide is for people handling a civil case in South Dakota state circuit or magistrate court: self-represented parties, attorneys, and legal staff who need to file a motion, affidavit, or other document with foreign-language exhibits or phone screenshots. Language examples include Spanish–English, Arabic–English, Karen–English, and Vietnamese–English. A typical packet might contain an English motion, a foreign-language contract or record, message screenshots, an English translation, and a translator’s accuracy statement if the case requires one.

The typical point of friction is practical: a person has screenshots saved as JPG or PNG, or a large scan with color markings, and is unsure how to attach a readable translation without exceeding the portal’s limits. The UJS FY2025 annual report records 6,728 courtroom interpreter requests across more than 51 spoken languages, with Spanish the most requested. This is useful context for language access in South Dakota courts; it is not a count of written translations or civil exhibits.

First confirm that your case belongs in Odyssey

This guide concerns South Dakota state-court filings. The state’s electronic-filing statute generally routes circuit- and magistrate-court filings, except small claims, through Odyssey where available. Attorneys generally must file civil documents electronically outside small claims, subject to exceptions or court orders. Self-represented litigants may use the system but are not required to do so. Small-claims treatment can depend on a direction from the presiding judge, so check the case instructions before starting.

Federal civil cases in the District of South Dakota use a separate CM/ECF system, not the state Odyssey portal. South Dakota law also excludes trial or hearing exhibits from ordinary e-filing unless the court directs otherwise. That exclusion is different from attaching an exhibit to a motion or affidavit. Check the case order or ask the court before treating a filing attachment as a trial exhibit. South Dakota Codified Laws chapter 16-21A sets out the state filing framework.

South Dakota Odyssey e-filing exhibit requirements: format, color, and size

Use PDF for the actual File & Serve upload

The statute lists WordPerfect, Word, TIFF, and searchable PDF as approved electronic filing formats. UJS operational instructions for the File & Serve portal tell filers to upload PDF documents, one PDF per filing document, and say searchable PDFs are preferred. In practice, prepare a PDF for the portal and follow the current upload prompt. This distinction is between the statutory format list and the portal’s operating instructions, not a claim that the statute itself says PDF-only.

Convert screenshots before filing

UJS’s File & Serve rejection reasons, revised October 10, 2025, specifically flag cell-phone screenshots as files that do not transmit to Odyssey. Do not upload a JPG or PNG as the filing document. Convert screenshots into a PDF, then inspect the file page by page to make sure the text is still readable and in the right order.

Black-and-white is a technical rule, not an evidence-quality judgment

UJS lists color documents, including documents with a colored signature, as not accepted. The detailed UJS Document Troubleshooting guide says scanned documents should be black and white and flags legibility, page size, resolution, unsupported fonts, password protection, and external references as possible technical problems. If a color feature—such as a chat bubble, mark, stamp, or photograph—carries meaning, do not silently remove it by converting the image to grayscale. Ask the case county’s Clerk how the court wants it submitted by an approved alternative route. The UJS Clerk of Court phone list identifies the relevant county office.

Stay below 5 MB per document

There is a real inconsistency in South Dakota’s published handouts. The detailed troubleshooting guide and the October 2025 rejection list specify 5 MB per document and 25 MB per envelope. The April 2025 UJS Filer Instructions also contain a general-format section saying 25 MB per document. Because the more detailed troubleshooting and rejection materials state the lower per-document figure, use 5 MB as your working ceiling and check the live File & Serve portal for its displayed limit. If the documents still conflict for your filing, contact UJS eSupport before the deadline.

When a packet is too large, split it at a sensible boundary and label the parts as “Volume 1,” “Volume 2,” and so on. For example, keep a contract and its translation together when that makes the record easier to follow, then split later pages into the next volume. Do not shrink screenshots until the message text is difficult to read just to meet the size target. A small but illegible PDF can still fail review.

Prepare the translation and image packet before uploading

1. Keep the source intact. Save original screenshots or scans before cropping, annotating, or converting them. For messages, preserve sender or account identifiers, dates, times, platform, and sequence when visible.
2. Make the English text easy to match to the source. Use consistent exhibit and page labels. Put source material and translation in a clear sequence, or use matching, separately labeled PDFs if that fits the court’s filing instructions. Do not assume the portal has a special translation field.
3. Check image conversion at full size. Phone screenshots need to become PDFs, but converting or printing to PDF can enlarge the image or make small text hard to read. Review the finished PDF page by page.
4. Confirm black-and-white legibility. If names, message meaning, stamps, highlighted marks, or photographs depend on color, ask the case county’s Clerk whether the material should be submitted on paper or another court-approved way.
5. Review privacy and retain the original. South Dakota law makes the filing party responsible for redacting protected information or correctly identifying confidential or sealed material. Self-represented electronic filers must maintain a hard copy for two years after filing and service, and both attorneys and self-represented litigants must make the original available if requested. These requirements appear in chapter 16-21A.

For broader guidance on foreign-language evidence preparation, see CertOf’s U.S. civil lawsuit translation standards. For message exhibits, its screenshot evidence guide covers preserving source context and keeping translated text traceable. Those are general evidence-preparation topics; PDF, color, and file-size limits are South Dakota Odyssey concerns.

What a certified translation does—and what it does not

The statewide e-filing statute and published UJS filing guides do not prescribe one universal certification statement, translator qualification, or notarization requirement for written civil exhibits. UJS’s rejection list addresses whether a non-English document is filed as an exhibit; it does not set certification wording. Check the case order or ask your attorney about any translator statement or affidavit the court expects.

A certified English translation can identify the translator and provide a signed accuracy statement. That helps make the relationship between the source and English text clear, but certification does not authenticate the underlying record, solve a color-loss problem, or decide admissibility. In practical terms, Odyssey’s “Accepted” status records the Clerk’s e-filing review; it is not itself a judge’s evidentiary ruling. That distinction follows from the filing statute’s provisions on clerk acceptance and rejection: the statute governs whether the electronic filing is accepted, but does not say that an accepted exhibit is admitted as evidence. For general guidance on certified translation standards for court exhibits or certified, notarized, and sworn translations in civil lawsuits, see CertOf’s related guides. For oral interpreting versus written evidence translation, see court interpreter vs. document translation.

Timing, fees, paper handling, and rejected filings

South Dakota law says a compliant electronic document submitted to the Clerk by 11:59 p.m. Central Time is considered filed that date. The Clerk then sends notice that a filing was accepted or rejected. A late-day upload rejected for a correctable format problem should not be treated as safely filed. Under SDCL § 16-21A-9, a court may grant appropriate relief for a technical problem on a showing of good cause; relief is not automatic. Save the envelope number, submission receipt, and any error message.

There is no single South Dakota filing fee for an exhibit packet; the applicable fee depends on the filing code and case. This article does not quote translation rates or promise a review time. UJS does not publish a statewide average clerk-review time for this type of filing. For color documents that cannot be e-filed, no single statewide mailing or appointment route is specified here. Contact the Clerk for the county where the case is pending before sending paper, especially if an attorney is required to file electronically.

If the Clerk rejects the envelope, open Filing History, review the rejection reason and clerk comments, and contact that Clerk with a filing-specific question. The UJS manual says an envelope can be copied for resubmission only when all filings in it were rejected, and that a rejected envelope can be copied once. Correct all listed issues before using that option. For portal or upload malfunctions, UJS lists eSupport at [email protected], Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, in its Filer Instructions.

South Dakota resources and provider options

Commercial translation and document-preparation options

UJS does not publish an approved roster of commercial written-exhibit translators. The examples below are not court endorsements. When comparing providers, ask whether the service can translate your language pair, return source and translated pages in an easy-to-match layout, provide a signed translator statement if requested, and explain delivery and correction procedures. Neither option should be assumed to provide legal advice or file documents in Odyssey on your behalf.

Duta Language Solutions: A South Dakota-based example in Sioux Falls. Its public information lists certified document translation and service in the Sioux Falls metro and southeast South Dakota. Published contact details include 3208 E. 10th Street, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 and (605) 713-3197. Ask whether it can prepare readable PDFs within Odyssey’s limits; its public service description does not establish an Odyssey-specific filing workflow or court endorsement. See its language services.

CertOf online translation service: Offers online document translation and certification for people preparing files from anywhere in South Dakota; no local walk-in office is claimed here. State that the file is for a South Dakota civil exhibit, confirm certification and page-matching needs, and check the final PDF against Odyssey’s current requirements. Start with the CertOf translation portal. CertOf provides translation and document preparation, not legal advice, court filing, or guaranteed admission.

Public and nonprofit help

• County Clerk of Court: Contact the Clerk about filing-specific rejection questions and instructions for documents that cannot be submitted electronically. Use the UJS Clerk phone list linked above. The Clerk is not a translation service or a substitute for legal advice.
• UJS eSupport: Handles File & Serve access, upload, and technical errors during its published weekday support hours. For substantive rejection reasons, contact the Clerk that rejected the filing.
• UJS Language Access: The Language Access resources explain court interpreter services and interpreter-related complaints. This is not a written-exhibit translation vendor list, an e-filing appeal channel, or a complaint route for a private translation company.
• Free or low-cost civil legal help: The UJS Get Legal Help page routes eligible applicants to nonprofit programs including East River Legal Services and Dakota Plains Legal Services. Eligibility and case type matter. These resources can help with legal questions; they are not translation companies or Odyssey technical support.

Complaints and fraud checks

Keep complaint routes separate. Ask the rejecting county Clerk about a filing-specific rejection; send system errors to UJS eSupport; use the UJS language-access procedure only for a court-interpreter complaint. A dispute about a private vendor’s bill or marketing is not an Odyssey complaint. Before sending sensitive records, get the deliverables and correction process in writing. Be wary of claims that a company is “UJS approved” or can guarantee a judge will accept evidence. South Dakota’s Attorney General Consumer Protection Division accepts complaints about deceptive or misleading business practices; the office says it cannot act as your private attorney.

Portal-documented failure points, not a rejection-rate survey

There is little reliable public reporting of South Dakota filers’ individual experiences with foreign-language screenshots. The most useful local signals are the state system’s rejection-code list and document troubleshooting guide. They flag direct phone screenshots, color files, oversize documents, and non-English documents that are not submitted as exhibits. The troubleshooting guide also warns about illegibility, excessive resolution, password protection, and irregular page dimensions. These are documented failure categories, not evidence of a particular county’s rejection rate or turnaround time.

The counterintuitive point is that a screenshot can be perfectly legible on a phone and still fail as an Odyssey upload. It may be the wrong file type, contain color, exceed the size limit, or become too small when fitted to a court page. Checking the file before submission can prevent a second filing attempt; it cannot settle whether the evidence itself will be admitted.

FAQ: South Dakota Odyssey exhibits and screenshots

Can I upload JPG or PNG screenshots directly to Odyssey?

No. UJS says mobile screenshots do not transmit correctly. Convert the image to a PDF, check that it remains readable, and confirm that it meets the color, orientation, and file-size requirements.

Can I e-file a color screenshot or photograph?

UJS lists color documents as not accepted, including colored signatures. If color has evidentiary meaning, contact the county Clerk before filing and ask what alternative the court permits. Do not assume that converting the file to gray automatically preserves its meaning.

What is the South Dakota Odyssey file-size limit for exhibits?

The detailed troubleshooting guide and October 2025 rejection list specify 5 MB per document and 25 MB per envelope. Because a separate Filer Manual section says 25 MB per document, use the lower per-document figure and check the live upload prompt.

Does every foreign-language exhibit need a certified translation or notarization?

The statewide Odyssey rules and guides do not state one universal certification wording, translator qualification, or notarization requirement for written civil exhibits. Confirm the case-specific expectation with your lawyer or court. A certified translation can document who translated the material and that the translator attests to accuracy, but it does not guarantee admission.

Can I submit actual trial or hearing exhibits through Odyssey?

Usually not through ordinary electronic filing. South Dakota law excludes trial or hearing exhibits unless the court directs otherwise. A motion attachment and an exhibit for use at trial are not automatically handled the same way.

Does an “Accepted” status mean the judge admitted the translation?

No. Acceptance is the Clerk’s filing status. A judge may later consider objections to authenticity, completeness, translation, or admissibility.

What should I do if my filing is rejected or the portal fails?

For the rejection reason or a question about an alternate filing path, contact the county Clerk. For upload or account errors, email UJS eSupport during its published support hours. If a technical problem affects a deadline, SDCL § 16-21A-9 allows the court to grant appropriate relief on a showing of good cause; relief is not automatic.

Related South Dakota issues beyond this page

This guide stops at the Odyssey upload boundary. Separate guidance is needed for South Dakota written-translation and translator-certification expectations, the full File & Serve workflow for self-represented civil litigants, and the marking and non-electronic submission of trial or hearing exhibits.

Prepare your English exhibit packet

If you need an English translation for a South Dakota civil exhibit, learn how to upload and order a certified translation online or submit your document through CertOf’s translation portal. Tell us that the file is intended for court use so the translated pages and certificate can be prepared for review. You remain responsible for confirming the court’s filing route, meeting Odyssey’s technical requirements, and filing the documents yourself; CertOf does not provide legal advice, represent parties, or promise that a court will admit an exhibit. You can also review electronic certified translation delivery options and the correction and revision process before ordering.

Disclaimer: This article is general information about South Dakota state-court e-filing and document preparation, not legal advice. Follow the latest court order and UJS instructions for your case, and ask a lawyer or the relevant Clerk about any case-specific filing or evidence question.