Bridging the Gap is a professional development program that prepares bilingual individuals to work as medical interpreters. This 40-hour and 64-hour courses are used to train novice and experienced medical interpreters, and it is accepted by both accredited national certifying bodies, the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) and the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). No interpreting experience is required to take the class.
Learn the necessary skills and best practices to become a qualified medical interpreter through lecture-based lessons, interactive role plays, case studies, and group discussions. At the end of the course, participants receive a signed and individually numbered certificate of successful completion after passing the final exam with a score of 70% or higher. This certificate does not expire and is widely accepted across the country as the gold standard for medical interpreter training. You will also receive a copy of the Bridging the Gap textbook and a bilingual medical glossary.
Among the topics you’ll learn are:
- Basic interpreting skills
- Interpreter roles
- Codes of ethics for medical interpreters
- Integrated medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology
- The United States health care system
- The role of culture in interpreting
- Communication skills for advocacy
- Professional development
This course covers:
| Basic interpreting skills. Roles, ethics, conduit and clarifier interpreting, managing the flow of the session. | ||||
| Codes of ethics. Codes of ethics and decision-making for interpreters in health care. | ||||
| Integrated medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology. Introduction to common terms, procedures, and specialties relating to human physiology and health. | ||||
| Information on health care systems. Introduction to the health care systems and types of health care providers. | ||||
| Culture in interpreting. Self-awareness, basic characteristics of specific cultures, traditional health care in specific communities, culture brokering. | ||||
| Communication skills for advocacy. Listening skills, communication styles, how doctors think, appropriate advocacy. | ||||
| Professional development. Effective communication, professional conduct, self-care, resources for professional growth. |
Upcoming Trainings
40-hour training over five week time period.
64-hour training over eight week time period
Due to COVID-19 and California’s Shelter-in-Place orders, all sessions of the current training will be on-line.
| Cohort Number | Start Date | End Date | Availability |
| COVID-19 Cohort | Ongoing | Ongoing | Open |
Interpreter Institute
Founded in 2019 in Alameda, California.
Do you have questions about our training and continuing education classes we offer here?
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