Since 2006 · Los Angeles · Interpreting
Deposition interpreters in Los Angeles.
Certified interpreters for depositions across Los Angeles, in person and on Zoom. The court doesn't staff your deposition; you bring your own interpreter, and everything that interpreter says becomes the record.
About
The court doesn't staff your deposition.
A deposition happens in a conference room, a court reporter's office, or a Zoom window, and the court has nothing to do with staffing it. Courts provide interpreters for courtrooms. For a deposition, the noticing party brings their own, and whoever shows up becomes part of the machinery of the record: every question and answer passes through them, the court reporter takes down their English, and that transcript follows the case for years.
That's why deposition interpreting is its own discipline. The work is consecutive, question by question, under oath, for hours. Anyone can be precise at ten in the morning. The test is the seventh hour, when the questions turn repetitive on purpose, the witness is tired, and the interpreter still has to render every hedge, every correction, every half-finished sentence exactly as it came. We staff certified interpreters with full-day stamina because a deposition transcript has no room for paraphrase.
There's also a dynamic unique to depositions: the check interpreter. Experienced opposing counsel sometimes retains a second interpreter whose only job is to monitor the rendering and put disagreements on the record. Our interpreters have worked both chairs. If you need the main interpreter, you want one whose work survives a check. If you're the one worried about the other side's interpreter, we can sit in that second chair for you.
Two more things worth planning for. First, continuity: the interpreter who heard your witness at deposition already knows their pace and vocabulary. Book trial dates when you book the deposition and we'll hold the same interpreter where schedules allow; our court interpreting page covers the courtroom side. Second, remote depositions are routine now, and they run clean with a short tech check beforehand: good audio, agreed pacing, exhibits shared in advance. If those exhibits need certified translation, we handle that under the same roof.
Where this work happens
Where our deposition interpreters show up.
Percipient & Party Witness Depositions
Certified consecutive interpreting on the record, question by question, for as long as the day runs. The interpreter arrives briefed on the caption, the parties, and the case vocabulary.
Expert & Technical Depositions
Medical, engineering, and financial testimony pulls specialized vocabulary in both languages. We match the interpreter to the subject matter, not just the language pair.
Remote & Zoom Depositions
A large share of the calendar now. Clean audio, an agreed interruption protocol, and exhibits shared in advance keep a remote deposition as tight as one in person.
Check Interpreting
A second interpreter who monitors the main interpreter's rendering and notes disagreements on the record. We staff this chair when you want oversight of the other side's choice.
Witness Prep & Attorney-Client Meetings
Privileged sessions before the deposition, with an interpreter bound to confidentiality who can move between legal register and plain speech.
Trial & Hearing Continuity
The interpreter who sat through the deposition is the best one to have at trial. Book both early and we'll hold the same interpreter where schedules allow.
07Exhibit & Transcript Translation
Certified translation of exhibits, declarations, and foreign-language documents in the file, handled alongside the interpreting.
By language
Deposition interpreters in these languages.
We staff deposition 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 Deposition 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 deposition interpreting bills at roughly a 25% premium over general consecutive work, in half-day and full-day blocks covering up to 8 hours. If the matter settles or the date moves more than five days out, cancellation costs nothing. No coordination fees, no deposits.
FAQ
Deposition interpreting questions.
Doesn't the court provide an interpreter for depositions?
No. Court-provided interpreters work in courtrooms, for court proceedings. A deposition is run by the parties, usually in a law office or over Zoom, and the noticing party arranges and pays for the interpreter. That's standard practice in California civil litigation, and it's exactly the work firms hire us for: a certified interpreter who arrives briefed and ready to be on the record all day.
Does the deposition interpreter have to be certified?
Certified is the standard we staff by default, because the interpreter's credentials get stated on the record at the start of the deposition and opposing counsel can challenge them. Requirements vary by matter type, so counsel should confirm what their case demands. In practice, a California court-certified interpreter is what both sides expect to see, and it removes one ground for attacking the transcript later.
What is a check interpreter?
A second interpreter retained by the other side to monitor the main interpreter's rendering in real time and put disagreements on the record. It's common in high-stakes matters and in cases where a prior transcript already has translation disputes. We staff both roles: main interpreters whose work holds up under checking, and check interpreters when you're the one who wants oversight.
Can one interpreter really handle a full-day deposition?
Yes, because deposition work is consecutive. The interpreter renders after each question and answer rather than speaking over the speaker, so the pacing lets one interpreter sustain a full day with normal breaks. What it demands instead is stamina and consistency in the late hours, and that comes from experience. Sustained simultaneous work is different and runs in pairs; our simultaneous interpreting page explains why.
Should we book the same interpreter for deposition and trial?
It's worth trying for. An interpreter who has already spent a day with your witness knows their accent, their hedges, and how they handle pressure, and the trial testimony will read consistently against the deposition transcript. Tell us the trial window when you book the deposition and we'll hold the same interpreter where schedules allow.
Do you cover remote and Zoom depositions?
Yes. Remote depositions work well with a little setup: the interpreter joins on a clean audio connection, counsel agree on pacing and the protocol for interruptions, and exhibits get shared in advance so the interpreter isn't sight-translating a document cold on screen. If it's your team's first remote deposition with an interpreter, we'll walk you through the setup.
Ready when you are
Need a Deposition interpreter?
Date, location, language, format. We come back with a short list and a quote.