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Spanish Health Care Interpreter Training

Spanish Health Care Interpreter Training

Start a flexible freelance career or obtain a staff hospital position in a high-demand field. Linfield's unique Spanish-specific training is approved by the Oregon Health Authority and meets the 60-hour training requirements for certification or qualification.

Refine your interpreting skills and knowledge, ethics, anatomy, physiology and medical terminology taught from a cross-cultural perspective. Our training includes extensive oral practice in Spanish and English with instructor feedback in preparation for national exams.

Program at a glance

When:

September 30 - December 6, 2024

Where:

Fully online

Cost:

$1,200*

(books not included)

Requirements and additional information

  • Textbooks you'll need

    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

  • This training course is approved by:

    • 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.
  • Course outline

    • 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
  • Eligibility for this course

    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
  • Language testing

    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 full online

    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.

  • Student-Instructor Ratio Policy

    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.

  • Scholarship information

    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.

     

  • Getting certified 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.

Meet your instructor

Michael Woods, M.A. in contemporary Latino/Hispanic studies, is a Certified Healthcare Interpreter™ through the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters and an Oregon certified health care interpreter. He also completed extensive doctoral coursework in Spanish sociolinguistics and has taken courses in interpretation and translation. He has been interpreting since 2017 and has more than 12 years of experience teaching Spanish at the community college and university level.

portrait of Michael Woods
Michael R. Woods, MA, CHI™
Linfield online instructor


business@linfield.edu

*Refunds are not issued once the course has begun.