Since 2006 · Los Angeles · Interpreting
Medical interpreters in Los Angeles.
Credentialed medical interpreters for independent medical exams, workers' comp evaluations, patient consults, and clinical research visits across Los Angeles. Trained for accuracy, bound to neutrality, and careful with patient privacy.
About
The interpreter is not an advocate.
Medical interpreting carries a specific kind of weight. The difference between "sharp pain" and "dull ache," between "sometimes" and "after meals," changes what a clinician writes down. In an independent medical exam or a workers' comp evaluation, what gets written down decides claims. The interpreter is the only person in the room who hears both sides natively, so the rendering has to be exact in both directions.
It also has to be neutral. A medical interpreter renders everything that's said and adds nothing: no advice, no softening, no side conversation with the patient, no summarizing the doctor's question into something friendlier. That discipline matters most in evaluations where the parties are adverse. An IME interpreter who edits or explains can compromise the exam itself. Our interpreters know the role and hold it, which is why both sides of a disputed claim can rely on the same rendering.
We staff interpreters trained in medical terminology, interpreter ethics, and the national credentialing standards for healthcare interpreting, and we match the interpreter to the setting. An orthopedic IME, a cardiology consult, and a clinical research visit each pull different vocabulary. Every interpreter we send also understands HIPAA-conscious conduct: what happens in the encounter stays there, and nothing about an assignment gets discussed afterward.
The work spans independent medical exams, workers' comp evaluations, patient consults and specialist visits, telehealth appointments, and clinical research visits where informed consent has to be genuinely informed. We've staffed Los Angeles language work since 2006, with deep coverage in Spanish, Armenian, Korean, Farsi, and the other languages LA medicine actually runs on. If the file includes records that need certified translation, we handle that alongside the interpreting.
Where this work happens
Where our medical interpreters show up.
Independent Medical Exams (IMEs)
Adverse-party evaluations where the report rides on the exact rendering. A neutral, credentialed interpreter both sides can accept.
Workers' Comp Evaluations
Evaluations and follow-ups in the comp system, with consistent terminology across visits so the record reads coherently from first exam to final report.
Patient Consults & Specialist Visits
Diagnosis conversations, treatment plans, pre-op instructions. The appointments where a patient most needs to understand and be understood precisely.
Clinical Research & Trial Visits
Informed consent sessions and study visits where the protocol requires that participants genuinely understand what they're agreeing to.
Mental Health & Psychological Evaluations
Settings where the patient's exact phrasing is diagnostic. The interpreter renders word choice and register faithfully instead of cleaning it up.
Telehealth Appointments
Video and phone visits with the interpreter on the line, with an audio setup that keeps three-way conversation clean.
Medical Record & Report Translation
Certified translation of medical records, evaluation reports, and consent documents, handled by the same shop.
By language
Medical interpreters in these languages.
We staff medical 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 Medical 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.
Medical interpreting is quoted in half-day and full-day blocks covering up to 8 hours, with rates that vary by language. Cancellation more than five days before the appointment costs nothing. No coordination fees, no deposits.
FAQ
Medical interpreting questions.
Are your medical interpreters certified?
We staff interpreters with formal medical interpreter training and credentials appropriate to the assignment, including the national healthcare interpreting certifications and the qualifications California's workers' comp system recognizes. When we quote, we tell you what the specific interpreter holds. What we never do is send a generally bilingual person into a clinical setting and call it medical interpreting.
Why can't a family member just interpret?
Many clinicians and evaluators won't proceed with ad-hoc interpreters, for good reason. Family members soften bad news, summarize instead of rendering, and usually lack medical vocabulary in one language or both. In an IME or comp evaluation, an interested interpreter can taint the result outright. A trained, neutral interpreter protects the patient, the provider, and the record at the same time.
Is the interpreter neutral in an IME?
Completely, and that's the point. The interpreter works for the accuracy of the encounter, not for either party. Everything the evaluator asks and everything the examinee says gets rendered fully, in both directions, with nothing added or left out. That's what makes the resulting report defensible, and it's why adverse parties can accept the same interpreter.
How does the interpreter handle patient privacy?
Everything in the encounter is treated as protected health information. The interpreter discusses nothing afterward, keeps no notes beyond what scheduling requires, and follows the provider's privacy practices in the room. If your organization has specific compliance paperwork for vendors, send it when you book and we'll work within it.
Do you cover clinical research and trial visits?
Yes. Informed consent is the visit where interpretation matters most: a participant who didn't fully understand the consent discussion wasn't fully consented. We render the entire conversation, including the questions participants are sometimes embarrassed to ask, and we can keep the same interpreter across a participant's study visits for consistency.
Which languages do you cover for medical work?
The languages LA healthcare actually needs: Spanish every day, plus Armenian, Korean, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Farsi, Tagalog, Russian, Arabic, and more. For rarer languages, tell us the appointment date early and we'll be straight with you about availability rather than overpromise.
Ready when you are
Need a Medical interpreter?
Date, location, language, format. We come back with a short list and a quote.