Since 2006 · Los Angeles · Interpreting
Mandarin interpreters in Los Angeles.
California court-certified Mandarin interpreters for hearings, depositions, and medical exams, plus business interpreting for delegations, negotiations, and site visits. Between the San Gabriel Valley and the cross-border deal flow, Mandarin is one of our busiest languages.
About
Mandarin, Cantonese, and knowing which one you need
Drive east from downtown and you pass through one of the largest concentrations of Chinese-speaking communities in the United States. Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Rowland Heights. The San Gabriel Valley generates Mandarin interpreting work every week of the year: court matters, independent medical exams, school meetings, real estate closings, family law.
The other engine is cross-border business. Chinese companies get deposed in Los Angeles, send delegations here, and end up in trade and manufacturing disputes here. That work demands more than conversational fluency. A full day of technical testimony about supply contracts or patent claims will expose an interpreter who is merely bilingual, which is why we match by setting and subject matter, not just language.
A word on Mandarin versus Cantonese, because booking the wrong one wastes everyone's morning. Spoken Mandarin and spoken Cantonese are not mutually intelligible. For an interpreter's purposes they are separate languages, not accents of one. This page covers Mandarin, and we staff Cantonese as well, so if you are not sure which your speaker uses, tell us where they are from and we will sort it out before anyone is booked.
For legal settings, Mandarin is one of California's designated certified languages, so courtroom and deposition assignments call for an interpreter who has passed the state's court certification exam rather than someone who simply claims fluency. The Mandarin bench in Los Angeles is deep, ours included. That depth keeps rates accessible and staffing fast, and it makes Mandarin one of the few languages where a short-notice request is often workable.
Where this work happens
Where LA needs Mandarin interpreters.
Court & Legal
State-certified Mandarin interpreters for criminal and civil matters, from arraignment through trial and the attorney conferences in between.
02Depositions
Full-day Mandarin deposition coverage for cross-border litigation. Certified, precise, and built for technical testimony.
03Medical & IMEs
Independent medical exams and patient consults for Mandarin-speaking patients across LA County. Neutral and exact.
04Broadcast & Press
Press conferences, on-camera interviews, and live hits in Mandarin for broadcasters and production teams.
05Conferences & Corporate
Simultaneous Mandarin for conference programs and delegation visits, consecutive for boardrooms and factory floors.
Business & Community
Negotiations, HR meetings, school conferences, community hearings. General consecutive interpreting, scheduled quickly.
By setting
Mandarin interpreters for every setting.
The same vetted Mandarin roster, staffed by format. Pick the setting closest to your job:
Court
Certified interpreters for LA Superior and federal court hearings, trials, and arraignments.
Learn more →Deposition
Certified deposition interpreters for law offices, arbitrations, and examinations under oath.
Learn more →Conference
Simultaneous booth teams, equipment, and a technician for multilingual conferences and summits.
Learn more →Broadcast & On-Camera
Camera-ready interpreters for red carpets, live broadcasts, fight nights, and press junkets.
Learn more →Medical
Medical interpreters for independent medical exams, patient consults, and clinical settings.
Learn more →Simultaneous
Real-time interpreting through a booth, earpiece, or whisper setup for live multilingual events.
Learn more →Interpreters in other languages:
Why Strommen
A vetted roster, not a marketplace.
Founder-vetted, every one
Strommen is not a marketplace. Garrett Strommen has run this roster personally since 2006. Every interpreter we send has been vetted by the founder, and most have worked with us for years.
Court-certified where it counts
For legal settings we staff California court-certified and registered interpreters: the credential LA Superior Court and federal courts actually require, not a self-declared specialty.
NDA-bound as standard
Two decades of film, TV, and legal work means confidentiality is the default. Our interpreters sign NDAs routinely and are used to pre-release material and sealed matters.
LA-anchored, worldwide
Based in Los Feliz, staffing Los Angeles daily, and on location nationwide or abroad when the job travels. Travel is billed transparently on the quote.
Get a quote
Book a Mandarin interpreter.
Send the event date, location, language, and a quick description of the format. We quote per project and usually respond the same business day.
Mandarin draws on one of the deeper interpreter pools in Los Angeles, which keeps it in our accessible rate tier and makes it among the languages we staff fastest. Same-week booking is routine. Half-day and full-day blocks cover up to 8 hours, with no coordination fees and no deposits.
FAQ
Mandarin interpreting questions.
Are your Mandarin interpreters court-certified?
For legal work, yes. Mandarin is one of California's designated certified languages, so any interpreter we send into a courtroom or deposition has passed the state court certification exam. For business, medical, and broadcast settings, certification is not the controlling credential, so we match by proven experience in that environment instead.
How do I know if my witness speaks Mandarin or Cantonese?
Ask them, or tell us where they are from and we will help you figure it out. Speakers from mainland China and Taiwan usually use Mandarin. Speakers from Hong Kong and parts of Guangdong often use Cantonese. The two are not mutually intelligible when spoken, so this is worth confirming before anyone is booked. We staff both.
How fast can you staff a Mandarin interpreter in Los Angeles?
Quickly. The local Mandarin pool is deep, so same-week staffing is routine and shorter notice is often workable. If you need a specific certified interpreter for a multi-day deposition, or simultaneous coverage for a conference, give us a week or more of lead time and we will lock in the right person rather than the nearest one.
What does a Mandarin interpreter cost?
We quote per project in half-day and full-day blocks covering up to 8 hours. Because the Mandarin bench here is deep, it sits in our accessible rate tier. Certified legal work and simultaneous conference interpreting bill at a premium over general consecutive. There are no coordination fees and no booking deposits.
Can the interpreter work remotely?
Yes. We cover Zoom depositions, remote medical exams, video conferences with teams in China or Taiwan, and virtual press events. Same interpreters, on your platform. For court proceedings, check the judge's rules on remote interpreting first and we will work within whatever the court allows.
I need a Chinese document translated. Is that the same service?
Same company, different specialists. Interpreting is spoken and translation is written, and written Chinese adds its own questions, like whether you need simplified or traditional characters. For contracts, certificates, or court filings, see our translation services or send us the document and we will quote it.
Ready when you are
Need a Mandarin interpreter?
Date, location, language, format. We come back with a short list and a quote.