Interpreter Training

International Effectiveness Center has designed a program that provides quality interpreting education to experienced or inexperienced people in the medical field to become competent Health Care Interpreters.

We provide interpreter training programs for those candidates that have no experience as medical interpreters or have not had any experience in the medical field. In order to reassert the interpreting skills and medical terminology of the experienced interpreters, we also provide advanced interpreter training programs in which the interpreter will have the opportunity to practice his/her interpreting skills and medical terminology through role plays and medical terminology workshops.

Our goal is to create interpreters that will provide quality service to LEP patients and health care providers by eliminating the language barrier and creating cultural awareness.

Competency Testing and Completion Certificate

Competency Testing is done weekly, and at the end of the course, through both a written and an oral test. Passing grade is 95%. Participants who receive a grade of less than 80% during the weekly test will be dropped from the course. Participants who receive a final grade of 80% to 89% will be given an option for extended training to provide an opportunity to pass.

The final oral test includes actual interpreting skills. Participants who pass both the written and oral final tests receive a Certificate of Successful Completion.

Schedule of Training

The training is highly intensive and schedules are typically 5 hours a day, 5 days a week.

In order to be part of the training program, the candidate should meet the following requirements:

Candidates with no experience must:

Be fluent in English (Good pronunciation, good oral and written understanding, proper use of grammar).
Be fluent in the second language that the candidate will be interpreting in.

Course A Training Duration: 300 hours

Experienced Candidates (minimum 5 years) must:

Be fluent in English (Good pronunciation, good oral and written understanding, proper use of grammar).
Be fluent in the second language that the candidate will be interpreting in.
Take a test in order to determine the level of interpreting skills and knowledge of medical terms and interpreting protocols.

Course B Training Duration: 40 to 60 hours

Very Experienced Candidates (minimum 8 years) must:

Be fluent in English (Good pronunciation, good oral and written understanding, proper use of grammar).
Be fluent in the second language that the candidate will be interpreting in.
Take a test in order to determine the level of interpreting skills and knowledge of medical terms and interpreting protocols.

Course C Training Duration: 20 to 30 hours

Topics Covered

I. Health Care Interpreting Skills

Modes of Interpreting

Consecutive
Simultaneous
Sight Translation
Summarization
Video Medical Interpreting
Telephone Interpreting

Ethical Principles

Accuracy
Confidentiality
Cultural Awareness
Impartiality
Respect to Individuals and Communities
Professionalism

Roles of the Interpreter

Conduct
Message Clarifier
Cultural Broker
Advocate
Interpreting Techniques
Memory Exercises
Direct Interpreting (Using "You" and "I")
Preparation of terms
Note taking for Video and Telephone Interpreting
Protocols
Before the session
During the session
After the session

II. Medical Terminology

Circulatory and Lymphatic System
Respiratory System
Reproductive System
Endocrine System
Nervous System
Renal System
Eye
ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat)
Genetics
Pregnancy

Materials

All the following materials are provided by International Effectiveness Center:

IEC Protocols for on-site interpreting.
IEC Protocols for telephone interpreting.
Medical glossaries.
Printouts of every medical topic studied.

This program meets the guidelines of the California Health Care Interpreters Association (CHIA) and the National Standards of the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC).

Participants that pass will:

Be able to interpret accurately using the protocols of a CHIA.
Be able to identify any barrier that could lead to confusion between provider and patient.
Have extensive knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the human body.
Have general knowledge of the different medical procedures and protocols.
Be able to understand the Code of Ethics of an Interpreter, the Roles of an Interpreter and the Forms of Interpreting.
Receive a certificate of training which will have to be renewed every year.