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Linguava Interpreter Academy

Take the first step to becoming a Qualified or Certified Medical Interpreter in Oregon with our online interpreter training.

Register For LIA Today

Oregon Health Care Interpreter Training

Welcome to the Linguava Interpreter Academy! At Linguava we want to help you develop your skills and confidence to provide accurate and professional interpretation in a clinical setting.

Our OHA approved program is led by interpreters with over 40 years of cumulative interpreting and training experience.

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onsite interpretation discussion with doctor and female patient

Meet Your Instructor

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Valeria McNulty

LIA Trainer

Valeria McNulty has worked as a Nationally Certified and State Qualified interpreter for almost 20 years in medical, legal and educational settings. She has provided training to interpreters since 2009 and has recently become a licensed trainer to deliver The Community Interpreter 60-hour training.

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What You Will Learn From This Course

Our curriculum focuses on concepts and terminology in the medical field so that upon graduation, you will feel confident in entering any health care setting to interpret accurately for patients and medical professionals.

The Linguava Interpreter Academy is a 60 hour course that has been designed by interpreting professionals with extensive medical experience.

Linguava Interpreter Academy’s 60 hour interpreting training program is approved by the Oregon Health Authority. This interactive program is designed to provide students with knowledge of medical terminology, interpreting modes, human anatomy and physiology, the Code of Ethics for medical interpreters, and role play opportunities.  This is a language neutral program taught in English and is designed for new as well as experienced interpreters. 100% attendance is required to complete this training program. This program has been recognized by NBCMI and CCHI.

Accessibility: Students with a disability must contact the instructor one week in advance of the class start date so reasonable accommodations can be made.

Course Details

Number of training hours: 60 hours
2024/25 Training dates and times:
  • Jan 6th – 15th (Orientation Jan 3rd)
  • Feb 3rd – 12th (Orientation Jan 31st)
  • Mar 3rd – 12th (Orientation Feb 28th)

M-F 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Training location: Virtual
Total Cost – Due With Application: $750
Includes the following:
-Training: $600
-Textbooks (e-books): $150
Required textbooks:
  • The Community Interpreter: An International Textbook
  • The Community Interpreter: An International Workbook of Activities and Role Plays
  • Medical Terminology for Interpreters
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The training was both very educational and dynamic covering a variety of topics from guidelines to real case scenarios.
It not only polished some professional tools that I was already implementing but also gave me a new perspective in how to apply more accurately different techniques when approaching a more challenging scenario.
The teacher was always helpful and made the training go smoothly with the exercises and giving time to share opinions amongst the students.
After taking the training I definitely feel more confident providing medical interpretation.

Gloria, Interpreter and LIA Graduate

Linguava Interpreter Academy Learning Objectives

Module 1: Introduction to Community Interpreting
  • Define community and medical interpreting
  • Analyze and compare interpreter credentials, including certificates and certification
  • Apply ethical principles for medical interpreters to common communication barriers
Module 2: Interpreting Protocols and Skills
  • Identify and describe the three stages of a typical community interpreting assignment
  • Discuss and practice four protocols for interpreting: positioning, professional introductions, direct
    speech (first person) and turn-taking management
  • Explore memory skills, chunking and imagery
  • Describe three modes of interpreting: consecutive, simultaneous and sight translation
  • Practice three effective techniques for note-taking
Module 3: Strategic Mediation
  • Show awareness of bias while interpreting
  • Apply four decision-making criteria to assess whether or not to mediate
  • Develop basic scripts for performing mediation in common situations in medical interpreting
  • Practice five steps to perform strategic mediation
  • Define cultural competence and cultural mediation
  • Develop techniques to perform culturally responsive mediation
Module 4: Professional Identity and the Community Interpreter
  • Understand the business practices and legal obligations of medical interpreters
  • Show how community interpreters can perform effective legal interpreting in community settings
  • Develop strategies to acquire specialized subject matter knowledge and terminology
  • Explore the challenges of remote interpreting
Module 5: The Role of the Community Interpreter
  • Discuss how the role of the community interpreter supports communicative autonomy
  • Apply a decision-making protocol for advocacy
  • Explore best practices that support national standards of practice
  • Identify critical standards of practice in common interpreting scenarios
  • Discuss self care and professional development for medical interpreters
Medical Terminology For Interpreters
  • Identify the meaning of common Greek and Latin roots and affixes found in medical terms
  • Analyze the language register of common medical terms and identify whether each term is
    higher, medium or lower register, taking context into account
  • Identify the basic functions of 10 human body systems
  • Demonstrate basic understanding of the functions, parts, common terms and diseases/ disorders
    relevant to each of 10 human body systems
  • Study and learn 44 terms for common medical tests and procedures
  • Practice interpreting 52 terms for medical signs and symptoms
  • List and discuss four best practices for managing and interpreting common medical abbreviations
  • Explore seven strategies and five resources for expanding the interpreter’s knowledge of medical
    terminology

Interpreter Training Program Application

Please be ready to submit payment with your application

People First

We are focused in everything we do. A team unified as “one” that seeks the best outcome for our whole community.

Innovative Spirit

Our work environment encourages outside-of-the box thinking and rewards creative innovations for achieving our goals.

Above & Beyond Customer Service

We believe in creating exceptional experiences and outcomes for all clients, linguists and staff.

Honest Conversations

We engage in a culture of authentic voices. We are open and clear in sharing objectives, perspectives and ideas with each other.

A Servant’s Heart

In always serving the greater good, we give back to the community and the world we share together.

Raising the Standard of Excellence

We are accountable to produce our best work, surpass expectations and get better every day.

As someone who hasn’t interpreted professionally this is a great class to start up your foundation as a community interpreter. Definitely gave me an insight of what to expect, what to do in certain scenarios and gave me confidence starting in this field.

Angela CamasLIA Graduate | May 2024

I had the pleasure of attending training with Valeria McNulty in early December 2023. Initially, I anticipated a boring full-day session necessary for my certification. However, from the very start, I found myself pleasantly surprised. Valeria exuded warmth and immediately fostered a welcoming atmosphere. Her enthusiasm and effective communication skills kept us engaged and motivated throughout the well-structured class. She was actively involved in our activities, ensuring clarity of expectations and maintaining a strong presence throughout.
I am looking forward to further training sessions with her, and I'm particularly keen for Linguava to provide certification test training through her.

Maria J.Interpreter

Before Linguava's course, I was completely new to the interpretation field. Completing their 60-hour online training program for healthcare, education, and social services gave me a solid foundation. I now understand medical terminology, how interpreter companies work, real-life scenarios, and the ethical standards we must uphold. I even know the steps to become a healthcare interpreter in Oregon!
A big thank you to everyone in the course, especially our instructor Valeria. It was inspiring to meet so many great people, each with their own level of experience. We learned from each other, discovered new words every day, and had a lot of fun along the way.
This training is truly valuable, no matter where you are in your journey. Keep learning, keep growing, and together we can make this industry even better!

AnonymousLIA Graduate | June 2024

The experience at Linguava interpreter training was great, I would highly recommend it to others. The instructor Valeria McNulty did a great job explaining all of the topics. The training had a lot of valuable information to excel in my career as an interpreter. I enjoyed this training very much.

AnonymousLIA Graduate | Aug 2024

Valeria was a great instructor and the course really helped me feel more confident with the terms, ethics and ways to go about interpreting.

D. WilsonLIA Graduate | May 2024
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