Sam Yu · California Court Certified Interpreter (Mandarin), No. 301482

How to Use WeChat Messages as Evidence in California Courts

WeChat conversations often hold the key facts in family law, business and civil cases: promises about money, agreements, threats or admissions. Before a court can rely on them, the messages have to be preserved, shown to be genuine and, if they're in Chinese, translated into English by a qualified translator. This guide covers the practical side and is general information, not legal advice. Your attorney decides what to file and how; ask them about anything specific to your case.

Get a Free Quote

Or email a sample to

1. Preserve the full conversation first

Save the whole conversation before picking out the parts that help you.

Don't delete or edit anything, including messages that seem unhelpful. Gaps raise questions about authenticity.
Screenshot the whole thread in order, with the contact name and the date and time visible on each screen. Overlap each screenshot slightly with the last so nothing is skipped.
Save voice messages before they expire on your phone: play them while screen recording, or export them.
Back up the chat history with WeChat's Chat History Backup & Migration feature (in Settings), so the originals survive a lost or replaced phone.
Keep the phone itself if you can. The other side may ask to see the original messages.

2. Show who sent the messages

California requires evidence to be authenticated: someone must be able to show it is what it claims to be (Evidence Code §§1400–1401). For chat messages that usually means showing the account belongs to the other person, for example through their WeChat ID and profile, how you know them, replies only they would know, or their own admissions. Screenshots that include the profile page and WeChat ID help.

3. Get a certified English translation

California courts need an English version of anything written in another language. For exhibits filed with motions and other papers in civil cases, the California Rules of Court require an English translation certified under oath by a qualified interpreter (rule 3.1110(g)). In any kind of case, a writing in another language offered as evidence is translated by a translator who has sworn to translate it truly (Evidence Code §§751, 753).

A good translation of a chat:

keeps every message in its original order, with sender names and timestamps;
translates voice messages as well as text, marked with their length;
explains emoji, stickers and slang where a literal translation would mislead;
when it will be filed, is backed by a translator's declaration, signed under oath, stating the translator's qualifications and that the translation is accurate.

4. Choose a format the judge can follow

We offer two layouts, at the same price. Ask your attorney which suits your case; many prefer bilingual for contested messages.

Bilingual: the Chinese stays visible with the English under each message, so anyone can check every line.
English only: the Chinese is covered and replaced with English, so the screenshot reads like the original.

5. Leave enough time

A few dozen screenshots usually take a few business days, and longer conversations with many voice messages take longer. If you have a hearing date, tell us when you ask for a quote so we can plan around it.

What the two formats look like

货款什么时候付？已经拖了两个月了。

When will you pay for the goods? It has been two months.