Bridging the Gap is a professional development program that prepares bilingual individuals to work as medical interpreters. This 40-hours and 64-hours 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.

• 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.

40-hours course:  Total tuition: $400
64-hours course:  Total tuition: $640

Includes non-refundable $100 registration fee, course textbook, bilingual medical glossary if available in your target language (if not available participants will receive an English-English glossary), and a signed Certificate of Successful Completion, if applicable.  If you speak multiple languages and would like glossaries in all your language sets, please talk to your trainer.

Participants must attend all hours of the training. Interpreter Institute reserves the right to cancel a class that does not have minimum enrollment.