What Is Medical Interpreter Training? Here's Why You Need It

Medical interpreter training is a course for bilingual adults, who are looking for a career change. You might be thinking "I already speak 2 languages! Isn't that enough?" And the answer to that question is, no, absolutely not. But why is that? Because interpreting in a medical setting is very different than when you are talking to friends or family. With professional language interpreting, your mistakes have very serious consequences for mistakes. They are professionals and have a responsibility to help patients get medical care, when they cannot understand and communicate to doctors on their own. Here's some basic information based on questions about how to become a medical interpreter, through our professional medical interpreter training course...

"What is a medical interpreter?" Here's what a medical interpreter does:

A medical interpreter is a bilingual adult, who helps patients communicate with their doctors, physicians, or healthcare providers.

Everyone needs to access healthcare at some point. Sometimes, patients speak very little to no English. Meaning that they have a Limited English Proficiency (LEP). The medical language interpreter will be in the room (either remotely or physically there) listening to what the doctor says in one language, and then say it in the patient's language. Then the interpreter will listen to the patient, and communicate it in the original language so that the doctor can understand.

Medical interpreters work in hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices, emergency rooms, dental offices, mental health centers and community health centers.

Having a professionally trained medical interpreter is required when someone's healthcare is on the line. A simple translation mistake can seriously impact someone's life, which is why their training is so important.

"What is medical interpreter training?" Here's what our standard interpreter training course will teach you:

Becoming a medical interpreter requires specific skills and knowledge that go far beyond everyday conversation. Our 7-week, 45-hour language interpreter training course is taught by professional healthcare interpreters who have real life experience. They created a curriculum that will teach you the skills, techniques and medical language required to do a good job. And the best part? They teach each course LIVE through our video chat classroom, allowing students to interact with teachers and get feedback in the moment. Here is what our course covers:

The medical interpreters code of ethics and how to apply them
Medical standards and protocols for interpreters
Basic anatomy & physiology terminology and how to apply them
Medical terminology in two languages
Role-play medical scenarios so you can practice interpreting real situations
How to stay calm and present in stressful moments
How to speak clearly, accurately and professionally
Staying neutral and professional in tense situations
When to speak and when to stay silent
Maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality
How to accurately interpret complex medical scenarios in real-time
Cultural understanding, and how it impacts language
How to pay attention when someone is speaking, and relay what was said in another language

* Did you know that employers and hospitals are more likely to hire candidates with professional medical interpreter training? In fact, many medical institutions require proof of training even before allowing you to apply. Once you pass our medical interpreter training exam, you will receive your certificate.

"How will your medical interpreter training course help me?" Here's how to become a medical interpreter:

Step 1. Take our standard medical interpreter training course

Make sure you are at least 18, that you have a high school diploma or equivalent, and proof that you are language proficient in 2 languages by passing our language assessment pretest. Then, make sure you participate during class and complete your assignments on time so that you can pass our language interpreter final exam.

* Get more information at our next professional language interpreter webinar! Totally FREE of cost, come with your questions and leave with answers.

Step 2: Continue learning with our Advanced Medical Interpreter Training course

To become a licensed medical interpreter, you must pass your state's official National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters licensing exam. In order to pass the licensing exam, you must prove that you completed interpreter school with formal instruction and training. And our standard course satisfies that classroom requirement! But this accelerated, and advanced medical interpreting training course takes just 5 weeks, and is specifically designed to help you prepare for your licensing exam by learning to interpret for advanced medical subjects like cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, radiology and more.

* Already completed our standard course? Sign up for Advanced Medical Interpreting Training (AMIT) and ready to pass your board exams with confidence!

Step 3: Register for your licensing board examination

Depending on your state, you will either register with the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) or with the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).

* Many students have said they wouldn't have passed without our advanced training and exam prep. Ask about dual enrollments during our next FREE webinar for our interpreter training courses

Step 4: Pass the written portion of your licensing exam

The written portion tests your understanding of interpreter ethics and standards, medical terminology, medical procedures and protocols and cultural awareness.

Step 5: Pass the oral portion of your licensing exam

This final step proves your ability to interpret medical information accurately in real-time. You will be graded on accuracy, terminology usage, memory retention, and voice clarity.

Our online translator classes are taught by expert instructors ✅ who have real-world experience in their interpreting specialty. They have worked hard to make fully remote online courses that are unique and engaging ✅ using a hands-on approach that is unparalleled by the competition. If you or someone you know is interested in our online Medical Interpreter Training Programs with live instruction✅, our fully remote yet real time classes ✅ are offered in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Farsi, French, Hindi, Korean, Somali, Urdu, Ukrainian languages online and onsite.