Interpreter Training Programs 

The California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA) does not accept promotional listings for specific activities, events, or commercial programs on its website.

The listings published below are informational and limited to educational resources and interpreter training programs that may support individuals pursuing a career in healthcare interpreting. CHIA does not endorse any programs listed below.

The use of CHIA’s name, logo, or branding in the promotion of external programs, events, or activities is strictly prohibited without prior written authorization from CHIA. Any unauthorized use may falsely imply endorsement or approval, which is not granted unless expressly stated by CHIA.

Organizations interested in hosting an on-site training event in partnership with CHIA must submit a formal request to education@chiaonline.org

College Programs


American River College - Los Rios Community College District

Introduction to Medical Interpreting

This course is an introduction to interpreting in the medical setting. Logistics, role and ethics, and the impact of culture and language use are considered.

https://arc.losrios.edu/academics/programs-and-majors/asl-english-interpreting


City College of San Francisco Healthcare Interpreter Certificate of Achievement Program

400 to 532-hour (18-20 academic units) program educates bilingual individuals of both

experienced interpreters and bilingual individuals interested in interpreting in healthcare settings. The classes are taught in English with language-specific labs conducted by language coaches in 12 different languages. A mandatory introductory course, HLTH 84 is open to everyone, and is offered several times each year and each course require successful completion of the previous course. A 54 to 108-hour practicum is required for completion.

www.ccsf.edu/hci


Fremont Union High School District Adult School (FUHSD Adult School)

Medical Interpreter Certificate Program

The Healthcare Interpreter Program provides training for bilingual individuals, interested in

healthcare interpreting. This includes classes in medical terminology, that provide a solid

foundation in terminology, pathology, diagnostics and treatment. Language specific coaches, who are Certified Interpreters, provide feedback and guidance with interpreting case studies. A capstone LAB class provides dedicated practice in the target language for each student.

https://fuhsdadultschool.asapconnected.com/#CourseGroupID=44849

Contact: raji_visvanathan@fuhsd.org


Fresno State - Division of Continuing and Global Education

This 80-hour online curriculum is designed to train interested bilingual candidates to serve

as Professional Medical Interpreters. This program will address patient/provider communication, cultural awareness during an intervention, interpreter code of ethics, and the role of the interpreter in the healthcare and administrative setting.  https://cge.fresnostate.edu/professional/certs/medicalinterpreting.html


Laney College

Legal and Community Interpreting Program / Introduction to Medical Interpreting 

Unlock your potential today! This Certificate opens up opportunities for students in the

workforce in the legal, health services, and educational fields of translation and

interpretation in English and Spanish. It provides an overview and intense practice of skills

in three modes interpretation (sight, consecutive, simultaneous) and translation.

https://laney.edu/instruction/catalog/


Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS)

For information about Translation and Interpretation courses at MIIS, go to: http://go.miis.edu/tisp

MIIS now has a Spanish Community Interpreting Certificate Program (SCI):

https://www.middlebury.edu/institute/academics/executive-and-custom-programs/translation-interpretation/spanish-community-interpreting


Moreno Valley College

Community Interpretation Program (Spanish-English)

https://mvc.edu/academics/programs/community-interpretation.php


Mt. San Antonio College

Deaf Studies and Sign Language Interpreting Department

The Mt. San Antonio College Deaf Studies Program’s mission is to increase the knowledge

and inspire students to appreciate Deaf people as a cultural and linguistic minority with a

breadth and depth of rich histories, languages, cultures, and experiences; and prepare them

for advanced degrees and careers with Deaf people while cultivating their professional

dispositions.

https://catalog.mtsac.edu/programs/coursesaz/sign/


Ohlone College

ASL-English Interpreter Preparation Program

https://www.ohlone.edu/deafstudies/ipp/courses


Reedley College

Healthcare Interpreter Program

This program’s purpose is to prepare bilingual and bicultural individuals to develop awareness, knowledge, and skills necessary for effective language interpretation in healthcare settings, to bridge the cultural gap, to develop cultural competency and improve linguistic and cultural communication for healthcare clients.

https://www.reedleycollege.edu/academics/guided-pathways/stem-pathway/health-care-interpreter.html


Santa Ana College

Medical Interpretation and Translation Online Class

Medical Spanish/Vietnamese and English bilingual skills required for interpreters and translators to provide professional interpreting and translating services to medical offices, hospitals, dental offices, clinics, and other healthcare services. Topics include proper translation of medical terminology, professional role, standards, code of ethics, medical signs and symptoms, health insurance, and medical forms. Students must be fluent in both Spanish/Vietnamese and English (oral and written) to be confirmed by instructor with first assignment.

https://www.sac.edu/Pages/default.aspx


The University of Arizona, National Center for Interpretation (NCI)

Medical Interpretation Online Course

The Medical Spanish/English Interpretation course provides guided practice in the successful completion of professional interpretation tasks in the medical domain. Medical Interpretation will be particularly useful to practice interpreters with no formal education in the field as well as to those interested in pursuing careers in translating, interpreting, and cross-cultural communication.

https://nci.arizona.edu/online-certificates/interpreting-certificate


University of California, Los Angeles Extension

Identify what interpreters are expected to do at each stage of a lawsuit. Prepare to switch from the consecutive interpretation mode to the simultaneous interpretation mode. Understand and troubleshoot the many aspects of depositions.

Courses offered in Chinese/English and Spanish/English.

https://www.uclaextension.edu/online-courses


University of California, San Diego Extension

Translation and Interpretation Certificate Program (Spanish/English)

This online course addresses patient/provider communication, cultural interference, interpreter code of ethics, and the role of the interpreter in the healthcare setting and industry. Online exercises familiarize the student with medical terminology and scenarios that an interpreter encounters while on the job. Hand-on practice with specialized, medical-focused material builds the necessary sight, consecutive, and simultaneous interpreting skills.

https://extendedstudies.ucsd.edu/certificates/translation-and-interpretation-(spanish-english)


Venture College

The Medical Interpretation certificate program provides students with the skills and workforce preparation needed for a career in medical interpretation. Students learn professional fundamentals of medical interpreting, including cultural mediation, medical terminology, navigating the US healthcare system, laws and legislation related to medical interpreting, professional standards and protocols, and identifying strategies for starting a career in with medical interpretation, including requirements for state and federal certification. Students gain the knowledge and skills required to interpret consecutively and simultaneously and to perform sight translations in a medical setting. A Certificate of Completion is awarded upon completion of SPAN V60 Spanish for Medical Interpretating and SPAN V70 Spanish for Medical Personnel, exceeding certification application requirements by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).

https://www.venturacollege.edu/departments/academic/modern-languages-department/ spanish


Private Institutes that offer Short Term Courses


Bridging the Gap (BTG)

Bridging the Gap offers a 40-hour and a 64-hour interpreting course and is taught in English, open to bilingual speakers of all languages. No medical interpreting experience is required. BTG will prepare you with the foundational skills and specialized information to become an effective, competent, and professional medical interpreter.

https://xculture.org/bridging-the-gap/


Connecting Worlds, Central Valley Version, Merced

Professional Healthcare Interpreter Training

Provides our “cutting edge” Connecting Worlds: Central Valley Version 48-hour interpreter training, which conforms with the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA) Standards. The training is taught by Healthy House, the MATCH (Multidisciplinary Approach to Cross-Cultural Health) Coalition.

https://healthyhousemerced.org/programs


Connecting Worlds - UC Davis Health, Sacramento

Healthcare Interpreter Training

A 40-hour industry standard introductory virtual training for medical interpreters. It satisfies

the CMI/CCHI national certification prerequisite requirement. This is a non-language specific

training class – all languages are welcome.

https://health.ucdavis.edu/interpreting-services/training


HCIN Learn (Health Care Interpreter Network)

Web-based Continuing Education for medical interpreters

The Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN), a non-profit collaborative of hospitals and clinics that share trained medical interpreters over a video/voice network, hosts HCIN Learn, a new way for language professionals to access the training and continuing education that we offer.

https://www.hcinlearn.org/


InterpreterEd.com

Medical Healthcare Interpreter Training

This comprehensive 60-hour training is a live, online course that prepares you to become a  certified medical interpreter. During this program, you will learn everything you need to take your national certification exam through CCHI & NBCMI.

https://interpretered.com/courses/medical-interpreter-course/


Linguist Education Online (LEO)

Our preparatory courses will provide you with the materials and feedback you need to study for the CCHI or NBCMI exam and help you meet the 40-hours training requirements.

https://linguisteducationonline.com/

https://linguisteducationonline.com/medical/


Medical Interpreting Training School (MITS)

A 40-hour and 60-hour online program is not the typical language-neutral course that only involves reading and watching videos. Throughout this strategically designed coursework, you’ll also improve your oral interpreting skills. You’ll practice with many doctor-patient vignettes as if you were in an actual medical encounter. Although the training is not specific to any language, our innovative method will help gain skills that can be applied to any language. Study at your own pace and at any time to earn your certificate of completion.

https://medicalinterpretingtrainingschool.com/


PALS for Health

Connecting Worlds Interpreter Training for Healthcare

PALS for Health was part of the original expert team that created the renowned “Connecting

Worlds” Training that is the current standard curriculum for most if not all Interpreter

Training courses offered today. The course is 40-hours and students may qualify for CEUs.

https://www.palsforhealth.org/trainings.html


Reach-Reaching Diversity Medical/Healthcare Interpreting 101™: a 40-hour training for certification

This 40-hour medical training is one of the certification prep trainings that REACH offers and it is designed to prepare individuals who are interested in becoming certified interpreters in the healthcare/medical sector.

https://reach-diversity.com/medical-interpreter-training/ (or) Email traininglounge@reach-diversity.com


Southern California School of Interpretation, Inc.

This series of classes prepares bilingual Spanish-English speakers for state certification in

court, administrative hearings, medical and federal interpreting. The online Medical Interpreter is a 9-month program while the Court Interpreter program is a 9 to 12-month program. Classes are taught bilingually in Spanish and English. https://www.interpreting.com/front_end/medic_interpret_program_online.html


The Berkeley Language Institute

Introducing our Intensive 42-Hour Non-Language Specific Medical Interpreting Workshop. This workshop is offered by experience instructors and working certified interpreters.

https://berkeley-language-institute-test.webnode.page/l/join-us-for-our-new-online-sessions/


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