Page 18 - The Medical Interprete

THE MEDICAL INTERPRETER

Training

Even if you have worked as an interpreter for several years, you should
still meet the minimum local standards for obtaining training in medical
interpreting. In general, in the United States, most training programs for
medical interpreting are given outside institutions of higher education.

Such training programs range in length from a few hours to a few days.
Most often you will receive a certificate at the end of the program.
Hold on to it; a certificate for community, court, general or medical
interpreting is a valuable credential. For medical interpreting you
should hold a certificate stating that the training was for community
and/or medical interpreting. You might also need proof that you have
studied medical terminology as part of your program.

In some cases, instead of a certificate you might get a signed letter that confirms your attendance
at the program. Whether it is a letter or a certificate, this credential should show your successful
completion of the course. “Successful completion” usually means you took a written exam and/or
an oral exam of your interpreting skills. If you lose that credential, request a new one, scan it and
keep the electronic copy so that you never lose it again. It will be important for your career.

A certificate of attendance is not as valuable as a certificate of completion that shows you passed a
written and/or oral test, but it is still important.

Higher education

If you have a degree in any subject from an institution of
higher education, such as a university or a community
college, that degree is also a relevant credential. In some
cases, for example, that credential might exempt you
from taking language proficiency testing for a certain
language. Some organizations might also require that
you hold a degree to obtain employment, for example,
as a staff interpreter at a hospital.

In addition to a general degree in higher education, some
universities and colleges today offer certificate programs or degrees in general interpreting or in
community, legal and/or medical interpreting.

Most U.S. university or college programs in healthcare interpreting are not degrees but courses
or certificate programs. In other words, most of them are short one- or two-semester programs.
However, some courses are part of undergraduate degree programs in interpreting or interpreting and
translation, and some are part of master’s programs in general, community or healthcare interpreting.

Interpreting programs in higher education in the United States and elsewhere are often combined
with translation studies.

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