Since 2006 · Los Angeles · Interpreting
Court interpreters in Los Angeles.
California court-certified interpreters for hearings, trials, and the legal work around them. Staffed by a boutique that has handled LA legal language work since 2006, not pulled from a directory.
About
Certified means certified.
In California, "court interpreter" is a credential, not a self-description. For designated languages like Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Armenian, Farsi, Tagalog, Russian, and Portuguese, an interpreter must pass the state's court certification exam to interpret in a courtroom. For languages without a certification exam, the state maintains a separate registered-interpreter credential. The difference matters: a certified interpreter has been tested on legal terminology, simultaneous and consecutive technique, and sight translation under exam conditions.
We staff to that standard because the record demands it. Testimony that goes through an interpreter becomes the official record, and a mistranslated answer is not a small error. It's an objection, a cleanup on appeal, or a witness who looks evasive because the question reached them wrong. Hiring well here is cheaper than fixing it later.
LA Superior Court is the largest trial court in the country, and its interpreter calendar reflects the city: Spanish daily, Armenian and Korean and Mandarin weekly, and a long tail of languages most agencies can't reach. The court provides interpreters for many proceedings, but plenty of legal language work happens where the court's interpreters don't go: attorney-client meetings, witness preparation, mediations and arbitrations, expert consultations, and civil matters where you'd rather control the quality than wait on availability.
That's the work we've been staffing for nearly twenty years. One point of contact, an interpreter matched to the language and the case type, and a briefing beforehand so they walk in knowing the case caption, the parties, and the terminology.
Where this work happens
Where our court interpreters show up.
Hearings, Trials & Arraignments
Certified interpreters at counsel table or beside the witness, working consecutive on the record and whispered simultaneous for the client.
Depositions
Outside the courthouse, the court doesn't send anyone. Certified deposition interpreters are their own discipline, and ours have the stamina for a full day on the record.
Arbitration & Mediation
Private proceedings with court-level stakes. Certified interpreters who keep both sides confident the meaning is crossing intact.
Attorney-Client Meetings & Witness Prep
Privileged conversations need an interpreter bound to confidentiality who can shift between legal register and plain speech without losing either.
Administrative Hearings
Workers' comp, licensing boards, and agency hearings. Less formal than Superior Court, still on the record, still worth a credentialed interpreter.
Family, Probate & Civil Matters
Custody evaluations, conservatorships, civil disputes. Sensitive proceedings where accuracy and neutrality both matter.
By language
Court interpreters in these languages.
We staff court work in 40+ languages. These are the ones LA asks for most:
Other settings we staff:
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 Court 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.
Certified legal interpreting bills at roughly a 25% premium over general consecutive work, in half-day and full-day blocks covering up to 8 hours. Cancellation more than five days before the date costs nothing. No coordination fees, no deposits.
FAQ
Court interpreting questions.
What's the difference between a certified and a registered court interpreter?
Certified interpreters have passed California's court certification exam, which exists for designated high-volume languages like Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, and Armenian. Registered interpreters hold the state credential for languages that don't have a certification exam. Both are court-recognized. We tell you which credential applies to your language when we quote.
Won't the court provide an interpreter?
Often, yes. California courts provide interpreters for criminal matters and have expanded coverage in civil cases. But court interpreters serve the court, not your trial prep. For depositions, attorney-client meetings, witness preparation, mediations, arbitrations, and any setting outside the courtroom, you bring your own. That's the work firms hire us for most.
Can the same interpreter cover the deposition and the trial?
Usually, and it's worth doing. The interpreter who heard the witness at deposition already knows their speech patterns, vocabulary, and pace. Book the trial dates when you book the deposition and we'll hold the same interpreter where schedules allow.
What does a court interpreter cost in Los Angeles?
Certified legal work bills at roughly a 25% premium over general consecutive interpreting, quoted in half-day and full-day blocks that cover up to 8 hours. Rates vary by language, since a Spanish certified interpreter and a Farsi certified interpreter are very different supply pools. We quote per matter, with no coordination fees and no deposits.
How much notice do you need, and what if the matter settles?
A week of lead time is comfortable for common languages; rarer languages benefit from more. If your matter settles or the date moves, cancellation more than five days out costs nothing. Within five days, the affected portion bills in full, because the interpreter held the day.
Which languages can you staff for court work?
All the major LA court languages: Spanish, Armenian, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Farsi, Tagalog, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, and more. For rarer languages we tell you honestly which credentials exist and what the court will accept.
Ready when you are
Need a Court interpreter?
Date, location, language, format. We come back with a short list and a quote.