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Healthcare

How to become a Medical Interpreter

From bilingual, no experience: every step, how long it takes, and the credential it earns.

Time to get there
2–6 months
Typical pay
$40k–$58k
Starting from
Bilingual, no experience

Pay is an estimate of typical US entry-level pay for this role and varies by state, employer and shift. The timeline assumes you are starting from bilingual, no experience and includes any licence or programme legally required, not just course length.

See medical interpreter jobs open now

The route

  1. Confirm your language proficiency

    Fluent in both directions, including register. Most training programs test this on entry.

  2. Complete a 40+ hour medical interpreter course

    Terminology, ethics, and the discipline of interpreting without editing.

    Course that covers thisMedical Terminology A–Z: Learn the Language of HealthcareUdemy · around $19.99

  3. Certify with CCHI or NBCMI

    Written plus oral exam. Hospitals increasingly require one of the two.

    CHI (CCHI) or CMI (NBCMI)

  4. Start on a hospital roster or agency panel

    Per-diem work first; staff posts follow in high-demand languages.

  5. Destination

    Medical Interpreter

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