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Interpreters in Los Angeles, CA
Yes: we book interpreters in Los Angeles by video at $80 an hour (one-hour minimum) or in person at $110 an hour (two-hour minimum), plus $0.70 per mile of travel, confirmed before you pay. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County provides court interpreters free, with Spanish interpreters at every courthouse for civil, family, probate and traffic cases, and the three Los Angeles immigration courts provide one for the hearing. A California deposition is treated as a court proceeding that calls for a certified court interpreter, so say so when you request.
In person in Los Angeles
$110 an hour per interpreter, two-hour minimum, plus $0.70 a mile from the interpreter's location.
By video or phone
$80 an hour, one-hour minimum, no travel. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or a phone call.
Quote within minutes
We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and any travel, before you book. Asking costs nothing.
Los Angeles needs Armenian, Tagalog, Korean and Persian as well as Spanish
Of the 3,695,324 Los Angeles residents aged five and over, 1,605,577 speak only English at home and 1,440,657 speak Spanish, according to the Census Bureau's 2024 estimate (ACS B16001). Next come Armenian (89,879), Tagalog (85,815), Korean (80,694), Chinese (66,929) and Persian (52,292), ahead of Russian, French, Arabic and Hebrew.
The Superior Court's own interpreter request portal is offered in Armenian, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese (LA Court). All of the city's top ten are standard-rate languages for us. For Persian, tell us whether the person speaks Farsi or Dari, which the Census counts together; for Chinese, Mandarin or Cantonese.
The Los Angeles court staffs Spanish at every courthouse; depositions are a different matter
For a hearing in the Superior Court you should not be paying an interpreter. The court's portal says interpreter services are free, that a Spanish interpreter does not need to be requested in advance for eviction, small claims, limited and unlimited civil, family law, probate or traffic cases because one is available at each courthouse, and that other languages should be requested before the court date — while warning that it cannot guarantee one will be immediately available (LA Court). The Judicial Council adds that court interpreters cannot typically provide services outside the courtroom (California Courts).
Outside the courtroom is where we are booked. California's Court Reporters Board says depositions are court proceedings and that Government Code 68561 requires the interpreter present to be court certified, stating their certification number on the record (CRB). If your deposition needs a California court-certified interpreter, say so when you request; we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. Attorney meetings before a hearing at North Los Angeles Street, West Los Angeles or Van Nuys, and USCIS interviews downtown or in Chatsworth, carry no such requirement.
What an interpreted appointment in Los Angeles costs
Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, confirmed before you book. A two-hour USCIS interview at 300 North Los Angeles Street is $220; with a 40-mile round trip it is $248. A four-hour deposition with a 60-mile round trip is $440 plus $42, $482. A one-hour video call with a client in the San Fernando Valley is $80 and carries no travel.
Standard-availability languages can normally be staffed in person in most metropolitan areas, Los Angeles included; we confirm the specific language and date before you pay rather than promise it in advance.
Languages spoken at home in Los Angeles
The most common languages other than English, from the U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, table B16001 (language spoken at home, population 5 years and over), Los Angeles city, California. A language that links has its own page on what to get right when booking an interpreter for it.
| Language | People who speak it at home |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 1,440,657 |
| Armenian | 89,879 |
| Tagalog (incl. Filipino) | 85,815 |
| Korean | 80,694 |
| Chinese (incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) | 66,929 |
| Persian (incl. Farsi, Dari) | 52,292 |
| Russian | 38,095 |
| French (incl. Cajun) | 22,869 |
| Arabic | 20,908 |
| Hebrew | 18,226 |
Where interpreters are needed in Los Angeles, and who provides them
Some of these places must provide the interpreter themselves, and then you should not be paying for one. Where that is so, the official page is linked.
| Place | Who provides the interpreter |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles immigration courts: 300 North Los Angeles Street (Room 4330), 5245 Pacific Concourse Drive (West Los Angeles) and 6230 Van Nuys Blvd. (3rd floor, Van Nuys) | The court provides the interpreter for the hearing, at government expense (ICPM 3.10). Attorneys book their own for client preparation, declarations and witness meetings. |
| USCIS Los Angeles Field Office (300 North Los Angeles Street) and San Fernando Valley Field Office (19809 Prairie Street, Chatsworth) | USCIS does not supply one for a green card interview: an applicant who needs an interpreter brings one, who shows a government-issued ID, takes an oath and interprets word for word. |
| Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles | Interpreter services are free. Spanish interpreters are at each courthouse for eviction, small claims, civil, family law, probate and traffic cases; other languages are requested before the court date through the online portal. Depositions are arranged by the attorneys. |
| Los Angeles County Department of Health Services hospitals and clinics | Interpretation, including sign language, is available 24 hours a day at no cost to patients; ask any staff member. |
What an interpreter costs, worked out
These are the published rates multiplied out: $80 an hour by video or phone, $110 an hour in person, $0.70 a mile of travel.
| Booking | How it is worked out | Total |
|---|---|---|
| One-hour video or phone call | 1 hour × $80 | $80 |
| Two-hour video interview | 2 hours × $80 | $160 |
| Two-hour meeting in person, 20-mile round trip | 2 hours × $110 + 20 miles × $0.70 | $234 |
| Three-hour deposition or closing in person, 40-mile round trip | 3 hours × $110 + 40 miles × $0.70 | $358 |
| Full day in person (six hours), two interpreters in relay | 2 interpreters × 6 hours × $110 | $1,320 plus travel |
The quote confirms the interpreter, the exact travel figure and the total before you book; nothing is charged until you confirm.
How the travel charge works out
Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.
We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.
By video, by phone or in person
Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.
In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.
How booking an interpreter works
- You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
- We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply within minutes, four business hours at most, and no payment is taken at this stage.
- You confirm and pay, and the interpreter is booked for your date. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent to you once the booking is paid.
What to have ready
The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:
- The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
- Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
- The setting and the subject matter.
- How many people need interpreting for.
- Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter. We confirm before you book whether we can staff it; the interpreter's name and credentials follow once the booking is paid.
Request an interpreter
Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.
Thank you — we have your request
We will reply within minutes, four business hours at most, with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one, before you commit to anything.
Sources
What this page says about Los Angeles was checked against these sources on October 29, 2026. Rules change; the source is always the authority.
- U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2024 1-year, B16001, Los Angeles city (read from the table-based summary file, acsdt1y2024-b16001.dat)
- EOIR — Los Angeles - N. Los Angeles Street Immigration Court
- EOIR — Immigration Court Practice Manual, chapter 3.10, Interpreters
- USCIS — Field Office Locator (Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley field offices)
- USCIS Policy Manual — Volume 7, Part A, Chapter 5, Interview Guidelines
- Superior Court of Los Angeles County — Interpreter Request Portal
- Judicial Council of California — Ask for an interpreter (Self Help Guide)
- Court Reporters Board of California — Best Practice Pointer: Interpreted Depositions
- Los Angeles County Department of Health Services — Language Access Services
Frequently asked questions
Does the Los Angeles Superior Court provide interpreters for free?
Yes. The court's portal says interpreter services are free, and Spanish interpreters are available at each courthouse for eviction, small claims, civil, family law, probate and traffic cases. Request any other language before the court date (LA Court).
Do I need a certified interpreter for a deposition in Los Angeles?
California's Court Reporters Board treats depositions as court proceedings under Government Code 68561, which requires a court-certified interpreter who states their certification number on the record (CRB). Tell us when you request.
Does the Los Angeles immigration court provide an interpreter?
Yes, for the hearing, at government expense, at North Los Angeles Street, West Los Angeles and Van Nuys alike (ICPM 3.10). Preparation meetings with your attorney are not covered.
How much is an Armenian interpreter in Los Angeles?
Armenian is a standard-rate language: $80 an hour by video with a one-hour minimum, or $110 an hour in person with a two-hour minimum plus $0.70 per mile of travel.
Is the price per person or per interpreter?
Per interpreter, per hour, billed from the scheduled start time. One interpreter covers a meeting; a full-day hearing may need two working in relay.
What if the venue provides its own interpreter?
Then you should not be paying us. Immigration court provides one, and hospitals and school districts frequently must. Ask them first.
Can I see the interpreter's credentials before I pay?
Tell us the credential the venue or the other side requires when you request, and we confirm before you book whether we can staff it. The interpreter's name and credentials are sent once the booking is paid.
How is travel charged?
$0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location — a 20-mile round trip is $14. We confirm the exact figure before you book, and virtual assignments carry none.
Need an interpreter in Los Angeles?
Tell us the date, the language, the venue and how long it runs, and we will confirm the interpreter and the exact price, travel included.