This Healthcare Interpreter Certificate prepares students to become effective English-Spanish interpreters in medical settings, following the standards of practice established by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care, the International Medical Interpreters Association, and the California Standards for Healthcare Interpreters. The Certificate is available to all students (including Extended University) who meet the language requirements. Students must successfully complete the five required courses with an overall average grade of B- or better. Topics to be covered include different modes of interpretation (simultaneous, consecutive, sight, and whispered interpretation), medical terminology, standards of practice, roles of the interpreter, ethics, and cultural competency. Courses with a SPAN prefix taken within the certificate also count as electives towards the major or minor in Spanish. Courses can be taken in any order.

This Certificate contains all the necessary elements to meet the eligibility requirements to take any of the nationally recognized certification exams (by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, or by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters).

Prerequisites: 

Language proficiency in English (one of the following):

• Bachelor, Masters, PhD, or any other degree from any US institution of higher education.
• Graduation from any High School from an English language country or from an American School abroad.
• One of the following tests (subject to change)
  • TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 570+ on paper; 230+ on computer version; 90+ on iBT.
  • ELPT (English Language Proficiency Test): 950+
  • MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery) 80+
  • ECPE (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English): PASS
  • FCE (First Certificate in English, Level 3): A
  • CAE (Certificate in Advanced English, Level 4): B
  • CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English, Level 5): B
  • IELTS (International English Language Testing System) 7.0+

Language proficiency in Spanish (one of the following):

• Professional experience over 5 years using Spanish AND written samples of work in Spanish.
• Bachelor, Masters, PhD, or any other degree from an institution of higher education where Spanish is spoken.
• Graduation from a High School of a country where Spanish is spoken.
• 24 semester college credit hours of Spanish or Major in Spanish
• Successful completion of SPAN 301 or SPAN 302 with a grade of B- or better,
• ACTFL Oral Exams (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages): 3.5 + /Advanced Mid Level (see www.actfl.org)
• Consent from the Spanish Program Chair

Certificate Advisor: Dr. Stephen Clark