Program Overview

Medical Interpretation: Spanish Certificate Program

The Medical Interpretation: Spanish certificate program is designed to prepare students to become certified medical interpreters, enabling them to pursue careers in medical interpretation and translation. This comprehensive program focuses on applied learning, preparing bilingual speakers to work as medical interpreters.

Program Features

• Starts: Fall, Spring
• Duration: 10 weeks (60 hours)
• Time: evenings
• Location: UNLV MAB2
• Mode: In Person, Online
• Cost: $1,700

About the Program

The program's curriculum emphasizes understanding the problems and complexities of interpretation, the roles and responsibilities of a medical interpreter, the use of pertinent medical terminology and its context, and the development of interpretation skills.

This Program is Perfect For

• Bilingual (Spanish/English) individuals interested in the medical field
• Medical professionals
• Medical office workers

What You Will Learn

By the end of the program, students will be able to:

• Identify and discuss the process of translation and interpretation, and differentiate between the roles of the interpreter/translator.
• Understand the problems and complexities of interpretation and the roles and responsibilities of a medical interpreter.
• Identify interpretation-related skills necessary in a medical setting.
• Identify, understand, and use pertinent terminology representative of medical interpreting.
• Identify problems and apply problem-solving strategies necessary in a medical setting as a medical interpreter.
• Demonstrate awareness of the diverse cultural factors and linguistic sensitivity in medical interpreting.

Program Details

To earn the Medical Interpretation: Spanish Certificate, students must successfully complete four required core courses. Students must be fluent in Spanish and English and provide proof of proficiency in both languages.

Required Courses

• Introduction to Medical Interpreting (LA1171)
• Medical Terminology & Specialties I (LA1172)
• Medical Terminology & Specialties II (LA1173)
• Medical Interpreting Skills Development (LA1157)

Academic Plan

The Medical Interpretation Academic Plan outlines the requirements for completing the certificate program.

Admission Criteria

Students enrolling in this program must meet the following prerequisites:

• Have at least a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent.
• Be fluent in Spanish and English and provide proof of proficiency in both languages.

Language Proficiency Documentation

Acceptable documents for evidence of English proficiency include:

• High school diploma from a high school in the U.S. or other English language country
• Bachelor's, master's, PhD, or any other degree from an institution of higher education in the U.S. or other English-speaking country
• Language testing, such as TOEFL, ELPT, MELAB, ECPE, FCE, CPE, IELTS, or ACTFL Oral Exams
• Successful passage of an established interpreter/translator certification exam

Acceptable documents for evidence of Spanish proficiency (documents must be translated into English) include:

• High school diploma from a high school in a country where Spanish is spoken
• Bachelor's, master's, PhD, or any other degree from an institution of higher education where Spanish is spoken
• 24+ semester college credit hours of Spanish
• Language Testing, such as ACTFL Oral Exams
• Time spent studying and/or working where the applicant was required to perform tasks at a professional level in Spanish at least 75% of the time

Certification Requirements

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreting require certification applicants to be a minimum of 18 years of age, have a minimum high school diploma or GED, earn a certificate of completion from a medical interpreter training course of at least 40 hours, and be orally proficient in both English and the target language (Spanish). Once these requirements are met, candidates first take a written exam and then an oral exam.