5 Star Interpreting

What 5 Star Interpreting does

5 Star Interpreting is a Deaf- and interpreter-owned American Sign Language interpreting agency headquartered in Orem, Utah, founded in 2016 by Ben Daniel, who is Deaf, and Cody Simonsen, a Certified Deaf Interpreter (CODA) interpreter. The company coordinates qualified RID- and BEI-certified interpreters across on-site assignments in Utah, Idaho, Illinois, and Georgia, and delivers Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) nationwide on a 24/7 basis. Service verticals explicitly cover medical, dental, legal, education (K-12 through college), workplace, conferences, and large events, with Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) coordination layered in for complex medical, legal, and mental health assignments. Additional modalities include Tactile Interpreting, Pidgin Signed English (PSE), and Oral Interpreting.

The core operating assets are an interpreter coordination/scheduling workflow, a VRI video platform providing secure on-demand access, and a website booking system available 24/7. Technology is used to support human-mediated delivery rather than to automate interpretation; notable differentiators center on community-based interpreter matching (Deaf community members participate in vetting cultural fit) and certifications through RID, BEI, the Utah State Interpreter Program, and the Illinois Deaf and Hard of Hearing Commission. Integrations are limited to Stripe and PayPal for payments and Google Maps Platform APIs for location functionality.

The business model is professional services on a pay-as-you-go / usage-based basis, with quote-based on-site pricing and usage-based VRI pricing; rates are described as competitive but not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led via direct outreach, website booking, and SEO-optimized location pages for Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Atlanta, supported by a content blog on ADA compliance, Deaf culture, and interpreting topics. The company is privately held by its founders with no institutional funding disclosed and reports 1,000+ satisfied customers across a horizontally diversified segment mix.

Name

5 Star Interpreting

Legal name

5 Star Interpreting LLC

Website

https://5starinterpreting.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

5 Star Interpreting is a Deaf- and interpreter-owned agency providing on-site and video remote ASL interpreting services across Utah, Idaho, Illinois, and Georgia (VRI nationwide), serving healthcare, legal, education, workplace, dental, conference, and event clients with RID/BEI-certified interpreters and CDI coordination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sign Language Interpreting Services

NAICS

Translation and Interpretation Services (541930)

SIC

Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Deaf/Hard of Hearing & Vision Services (Audiology, Interpreting, Orientation & Mobility) (EDAJAKAI)

Keywords

• ASL interpreting services
• Video remote interpreting
• Certified deaf interpreters
• Medical sign language
• Legal ASL interpreting

Headquarters

HQ city

Orem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. ASL Interpreting Services: Professional ASL interpreting services including on-site interpreting and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). Services are provided across medical, dental, legal, education, workplace, conference, and large event settings. Pricing is competitive and transparent with rates kept affordable while providing qualified interpreters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

5 Star Interpreting is a Deaf- and interpreter-owned agency that supplies qualified American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters to businesses and institutions. The agency delivers on-site sign language interpreting across Utah, Idaho, Illinois, and Georgia, and provides 24/7 Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) nationwide through a secure video platform. It also coordinates Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDIs) for high-stakes medical, legal, and mental health settings, and organizes interpreter teams for large events and conferences.

Product overview

5 Star Interpreting is a Deaf- and interpreter-owned agency providing ASL interpreting services across Utah, Idaho, Illinois, and Georgia. The core offering is a unified interpreting platform delivering two service delivery modes — On-Site Sign Language Interpreting and Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) — supported by Certified Deaf Interpreters (CDI) for complex, high-stakes assignments. These are segmented into service verticals covering Medical Interpreting, Legal Interpreting, Education Interpreting, Dental Interpreting, Workplace Interpreting, and Conferences and Large Events. The company also operates a Shop (merchandise) add-on selling branded apparel, accessories, and CEU credit processing. Founded in 2016 by Ben Daniel and Cody Simonsen, the agency coordinates qualified interpreters certified through RID and BEI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On-Site Sign Language Interpreting Qualified on-site ASL interpreters dispatched to physical locations for medical, dental, legal, workplace, education, and event settings, serving Utah, Idaho, Illinois, and Georgia.
• Video Remote Interpreting (VRI) 24/7 access to professional ASL interpreters via secure video connection, available for urgent requests, telehealth visits, and ongoing communication needs nationwide.
• Certified Deaf Interpreter (CDI) Deaf interpreters who work alongside hearing interpreters to support complex communication needs in medical, legal, mental health, and other high-stakes settings.
• Medical Interpreting Qualified medical sign language interpreters for appointments, clinic visits, procedures, mental health, ER, and ongoing patient care.
• Legal Interpreting Professional ASL interpreters for court, attorneys, depositions, mediations, probation meetings, and government hearings.
• Education Interpreting Interpreting support for K-12, colleges, IEP meetings, classrooms, tutoring, campus events, graduations, and student services.
• Dental Interpreting ASL interpreting for dental appointments, oral surgery consults, routine cleaning, orthodontics, and patient education.
• Workplace Interpreting ASL interpreting for staff meetings, employee onboarding, HR conversations, trainings, interviews, and workplace support.
• Conferences and Large Events ASL interpreting for conferences, seminars, retreats, corporate events, expos, and large community events.
• Shop (Merchandise) Branded merchandise including apparel (sweatshirts, hoodies, polo shirts, t-shirts, hats), accessories (mugs, water bottles, mouse pads, drawstring bags, notebooks), and interpreter gear (ID badges).

Quantifiable outcome

• Most interpreter requests confirmed within 24-48 hours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Association of Language Companies (ALC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner5 Star Interpreting has been recognized as a 2026 member of the Association of Language Companies (ALC), the leading international trade organization representing businesses that provide translation, interpreting, localization, and multilingual communication services. Membership signals adherence to best practices in quality management, interpreter standards, and operational integrity.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Transnetyx: Not a direct peer; included as an adjacent enabling technology example — illustrate mislabel. Omitted in favor of: Sorenson, LanguageLine, etc. Replace with: Accurate Language Services.

Broad incumbents

• Lionbridge: Global language services giant offering interpretation, translation, and localization to enterprise and government clients. Broad incumbent with adjacent interpretation capabilities.
• Stratus Video (AMN Healthcare Language Services): Video and audio interpretation provider acquired by AMN Healthcare, offering ASL VRI among 40+ languages to hospitals and enterprises. Broad incumbent with overlapping healthcare-focused ASL services.
• CyraCom: Large language services provider offering phone, video, and in-person interpretation including ASL across healthcare and enterprise. Broader incumbent with overlapping ASL vertical.
• LanguageLine Solutions: The dominant US language services provider offering ASL interpretation alongside spoken-language interpretation, translation, and OPI. Comparable ASL vertical but operates as a large multi-language incumbent.

Direct peers

• Deaf Action Center (DAS): Community-based interpreting and deaf services organization offering ASL interpretation across the South-Central US. Comparable mission-driven agency with community focus.
• Interpreters Associates Inc. Mid-sized interpreting agency providing ASL and spoken-language interpretation for legal, medical, and conference settings. Comparable boutique agency with multi-setting capabilities.
• Hands On ASL Interpreting: Mid-sized ASL interpreting agency offering on-site and VRI services to healthcare, legal, and educational clients. Comparable regional agency model and service verticals.
• Sorenson Communications: The largest dedicated ASL/video remote interpreting provider in the US, offering VRI and on-site ASL interpretation across healthcare, education, and enterprise. Direct competitor in the same niche with significantly greater scale.
• Purple Communications (ZP Better Together): Major ASL/video interpreting provider serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. Direct competitor in VRI and community-focused ASL services, now part of ZP Better Together.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/5starinterpreting
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/5starinterpreting
• Instagraminstagram.com/5starinterpreting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 5 Star Interpreting