Spanish Medical Interpreter Program
Attention: Due to circumstances beyond our control, this program will not be offered
during the 2020-2021 academic year. It will start fall quarter 2021. Application acceptance
and testing will start again in April.
Are you bilingual? Do you want to use your bilingual skills and work in the medical
field? The Spanish Medical Interpreter program (SMIP) may be for you!
CBC's SMIP begins in the fall, with courses offered in fall, winter and spring quarters.
Throughout your coursework, you’ll prepare for state or national medical interpreter
certification and to enter the workforce as a professional, ethical and competent
healthcare interpreter, developing skills both in and out of your A and B languages.
You’ll be introduced to healthcare interpreting as a profession, including concepts
and relevant terminology in biomedicine and will have opportunities to develop foundational
skills in healthcare interpreting.
Topics include:
- International and National code of ethics
- Standards of practice
- Language access laws
- HIPAA
- Interpreting modalities and
- protocols
- Basic note-taking skills
- Self-evaluation
- Glossary building and intervention techniques
- Ethical decision-making
- Basic medical prefixes
- Roots and suffixes
- Note-taking and sight translation skills
- Interpreter positioning

Spanish Medical Interpreter Program
“When I first started the Spanish Medical Interpreting Program, I had no idea I'd have the opportunity to serve and volunteer in our community. The shifts at both Grace Clinic and the CBC Dental Hygiene Clinic have given me not only an insight into what the interpreting field really is, but a sense of confidence as well.”
— Itzel Ramirez SMIP Graduate 2018-2019
Certification
The SMIP prepares students for national or state certification and to enter the workforce
as professional, ethical, competent medical interpreters. Students who successfully
complete each quarter with a GPA of 2.5 or higher will receive a Certificate of Attainment.
Note: The CBC certificate is not a substitute for the state or national certification.