Spanish Health Care Interpreter Training

Healthcare Interpreting in Small Bites
By Cindy Roat
Cost: $32

Medical Interpretools
By National Center for Interpretation
Cost: $50

Medical Terminology for Interpreters (4th ed.): A Handbook
By Marjory Bancroft
Cost: $60

• The Oregon Judicial Department, Court Language Access Services, has pre-approved this training program for 10 general credits and 10 language-specific credits. Interpreters will need to provide a certificate of completion to Court Language Access Services.
• The Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) for one ethics and five general Continuing Education Credits.
• The American Translators Association (ATA) for five Continuing Education Points.
• The National Association for Health Professionals for CEU credits for those already certified through NAHP.

• Week 1: Intro to the Field of Medical Interpreting
• Week 2: Intro to Translation/Interpretation Theories
• Week 3: Medical Terms
• Week 4: Circulatory and Digestive Systems
• Week 5: Reproduction and Respiratory Systems
• Week 6: Endocrine and Musculoskeletal Systems
• Week 7: In the Hospital
• Week 8-10: Ethics and Skills
• Week 11: Mock Exam

To be eligible for this course, you must have:

• A minimum of a high school diploma or GED
• Advanced-level proficiency in English and Spanish

If you are a student without a degree completed mostly in Spanish from a Spanish-speaking country, you will need to pass an oral placement interview for Spanish.

If you are a student without a degree completed mostly in English from an English-speaking country, you will need to pass an oral placement interview for English.

Oral placement interviews are conducted by our instructor before the course starts.

The oral placement interview for our program does not replace the Oregon Health Authority language proficiency certificate requirement.

This program is asynchronous with no required meeting times. Weekly activities are typically due Wednesdays and Sundays. The course instructor consistently interacts with the discussion forum and provides feedback to submitted coursework, etc. They usually send several emails and schedule optional Zoom opportunities in consultation with course participants.

At our institution, we prioritize effective learning and personalized attention in all our training programs. In accordance with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) guidelines, we maintain a student-instructor ratio of 15:1 for online courses. This ensures that each student receives the support and guidance necessary to thrive in their educational journey.

This non-credit program is not eligible for Title IV funding.

If you’re seeking scholarships for a non-credit program the OHA’s Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Program provides resources and support for interpreters.

Although they don’t directly offer scholarships, they can guide you through the process and provide information about interpreter programs and services in Oregon.

This course meets the 60-hour training requirements for health care interpreter certification or qualification by the Oregon Health Authority. 

To get certified in Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority requires applicants to submit a language proficiency certificate as part of the application process. They currently accept language proficiency tests from Language Line Solutions or Language Testing International.

The oral placement interview for our program does not replace the Oregon Health Authority language proficiency certificate requirement.

For more information about Oregon’s requirements, check the Oregon Health Authority’s website.