Meet Jie Ma — Certified Mandarin Legal Interpreter and Litigation Support Consultant
Jie Ma is a Mandarin–English legal interpreter, Chinese–English legal translator, and litigation support consultant. Based in Los Angeles, Jie Ma serves clients throughout California, across the West Coast and East Coast, and internationally by remote assignment or on-site by arrangement. With almost two decades of experience in legal and business matters, she has worked with courts, law firms, counsel, mediators, arbitrators, deposition providers, and legal teams handling matters involving Chinese-speaking parties, Mandarin-speaking witnesses, clients, and Chinese-language documents.
Her practice is built on verifiable qualifications. Jie is certified by the California Judicial Council to interpret in California state courts and is registered as a Mandarin interpreter with the U.S. Federal Court. She holds an Intellectual Property Law Essentials Certificate from Cornell Law School. Jie was also the first English/Chinese bilingual mediator trained through the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs and conducted mediations in Los Angeles County Superior Court settings, including small claims and landlord–tenant matters.
That combination — courtroom-tested interpreting, legal translation experience, mediation training, and cross-cultural judgment — allows her to support high-stakes Mandarin matters with the precision the record demands and the cultural fluency complex matters often require.
The qualifications behind the practice
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California Judicial Council Certified
Certified to interpret in California state courts.
Search “Ma, Jie” on the California Courts interpreter roster (opens in a new tab) -
U.S. Federal Court Registered
Registered Mandarin interpreter for the United States federal courts.
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Cornell Law — IP Law Essentials Certificate
Formal grounding in intellectual-property law.
View the certificate on eCornell (opens in a new tab) -
First English/Chinese Bilingual Mediator
Trained through Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs; conducted mediations in Los Angeles County Superior Court settings.
Beyond the proceeding — when counsel needs more than interpreting
In addition to neutral court and deposition interpreting, Jie Ma may be retained in appropriate matters as a check interpreter, Chinese legal translation reviewer, and litigation support consultant. These retained consulting roles are kept separate from neutral interpreting assignments to protect the integrity of the record and avoid role confusion.
Two distinct roles, never blurred
Neutral interpreting is provided as an impartial officer of the proceeding, owing no allegiance to any party. Retained consulting is a different, non-neutral role: engaged by one side as a consultant. Jie Ma does not serve as the neutral interpreter in a matter where she has been retained as a consultant or check interpreter for one side — a separation that protects both the proceeding and the record.
Suited to complex, Chinese-language matters
Jie’s work is especially suited to law firms, deposition service companies, court reporters, arbitrators, mediators, and counsel handling Chinese-language evidence, Mandarin-speaking witnesses, cross-border business disputes, intellectual-property disputes, commercial matters, and culturally complex testimony.
The wider experience behind the work
Jie’s broader background deepens her value on complex matters. She holds a California real estate salesperson license and has worked with real-estate-focused cases — commercial and residential, from purchase and sale to lease disputes. For a PR firm, she worked as a bilingual copywriter, co-producer, and voiceover artist on the advertising campaign for the U.S. Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS).
She is also an independent musician and recording artist. She created and performed In a Wonderland with Miss Ma (2025) and On the Silk Road with Miss Ma (2026) at Disney California Adventure Park, and has recorded as a featured soloist on film scores including Disney’s Mulan and Turning Red. As a creator and rights holder herself, she brings a working understanding of intellectual property to the matters she supports — grounded further by an Intellectual Property Law Essentials Certificate from Cornell Law School. Across every setting, the same discipline applies: precision, presence, and cultural fluency under pressure.
Legal professionals who know the work
Jie Ma is fantastically professional in delivering her high-quality cross-language services. As an arbitrator and lawyer with lots of experience in international cases, I know that your choice of interpreter and translator can make or break a case; this person becomes your client’s voice in those cases or your voice in business negotiations. Remarkably short shrift seems to be given to such an important decision about someone who will be a key team member. I have seen Jie operate in legal and business environments and she is a worthy choice of a team member to help you get your message across effectively and accurately. Her deep Chinese cultural knowledge and advice are a tremendous added value to ensure you are not inadvertently trampling on things you may not know or understand. You can’t go wrong in choosing Jie to assist.
- Wesley White Partner at Orrick
- Nicholas Massari Associate Attorney, Kimura London & White LLP
- Bret Anderson Partner, Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP
- Teresa Johnson Trial Attorney, Kramer Trial Lawyers
- Sabrina Li Attorney, Law Offices of Sabrina Li, P.C.
Need a Mandarin interpreter for an upcoming legal proceeding?
Share the proceeding type, date, time zone, expected duration, and whether the assignment is remote or on-site. Jie Ma will reply directly to confirm availability, fit, and next steps.
Need Chinese–English legal translation?
Please provide the documents for review so Jie Ma can confirm scope, turnaround time, and whether certification is required.