Medical interpreter certification
CCHI and NBCMI certify medical interpreters nationally: a written exam in English, then an oral exam that tests your interpreting.
How to get it, step by step
Meet the basic requirements
CCHI and NBCMI both ask that you be 18 or older with a high school diploma or GED, and that you show proficiency in English and in your other language.1,9
Finish 40 hours of medical interpreter training
CCHI doesn’t pre-approve programs and accepts instructor-led training, including online self-paced modules. NBCMI accepts an IMIA-accredited course or 3 college credit hours. Our course covers the topics.1,2,9
Apply with your documents
Upload proof of age, education, training and language skills. CCHI charges $231, which includes the CoreCHI exam; NBCMI’s registration fee is $40.1,6,9
Pass the written exam
CCHI’s CoreCHI is 100 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours, online or at a test center. NBCMI’s written exam is 51 questions in up to 75 minutes.3,9
Pass the oral exam
Within 12 months of CoreCHI, pass CCHI’s CHI exam (Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin) or its English-to-English ETOE for other languages. NBCMI’s oral exam earns the CMI in 6 languages.1,4,5,9
Renew every 4 or 5 years
CCHI renews every 4 years with 32 CE hours and 40 hours of healthcare interpreting work, for $300. NBCMI’s CMI renews every 5 years with 30 contact hours, also $300.7,9
40-Hour Medical Interpreter Course: lesson plan and practice →
The exam, and the money
The exam
Study for the exam
44 lessons in 7 chapters · about 5 minutes each
- 24%
1Run the session8
Managing the Interpreting Encounter
- First-person medical interpreting Lesson 1 · free
- The pre-session, in one breath
- Where to stand, and why
- Manage the flow of talk
- Clarify, and stay transparent
- Correct your own mistakes
- Consecutive, simultaneous or sight?
- Phone and video sessions
- 23%
2Ethics in real rooms9
Professional Responsibility and Interpreter Ethics
- NCIHC’s nine ethical principles
- Accuracy: add nothing, omit nothing
- Confidentiality inside the care team
- Impartiality when you disagree
- Role boundaries: no advice
- When to advocate, and how
- Safety: precautions and exposure
- Self-care after hard sessions
- Solving an ethical dilemma
- 25%
3Medical terms in both languages13
Healthcare Terminology
- Word roots in two languages
- Body systems: los sistemas
- Heart, lungs and blood
- Digestive and urinary systems
- Bones, nerves and hormones
- Symptoms the way patients say them
- Tests, scans and lab work
- Medicines, doses and side effects
- Acronyms doctors use
- False friends: embarazada, constipado
- Pregnancy, birth and pediatrics
- Emergency, surgery and cancer care
- Mental health sessions
- 13%
4How U.S. healthcare works5
U.S. Health Systems
- Who’s who in a hospital
- Insurance, Medicaid and Medicare
- HIPAA in plain words
- Language access law and CLAS
- Informed consent and the interpreter
- 15%
5Culture without assumptions4
Cultural Responsiveness
- Don’t assume, ask
- When to be a culture broker
- Susto, empacho and mal de ojo
- Spanish across countries
6Interpreting skills lab3
Interpret in Healthcare Settings (CHI™ performance exam)
- Note-taking for consecutive
- Sight translation, done right
- Simultaneous: start with shadowing
- with ch. 2
7Your certification path2
Professional Responsibility and Interpreter Ethics
- CCHI or NBCMI: which path?
- Test day
Built on CCHI CoreCHI™ Exam Specifications, with the NCIHC National Standards of Practice for Interpreters in Health Care · Effective May 1, 2023 (2022 job task analysis)
The full class, $349 at launch.
Paid once, when it opens. Lesson 1 is free now.
- 40 logged hours
- Bilingual terminology drills
- Role-play scoring
CCHI accepts 40 hours of training from any provider. NBCMI requires an approved program; check with them before enrolling for NBCMI.
Questions
Do you need certification to work as a medical interpreter?
Not always. BLS says general certification typically isn’t required for interpreters, though some employers require or prefer it.10
What’s the difference between CCHI and NBCMI?
Both certify nationally. CCHI’s CHI covers Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin, with CoreCHI-P for other languages. NBCMI’s CMI covers Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean and Vietnamese.1,5,9
Can you take the medical interpreter exam online?
CCHI’s written CoreCHI, yes: it’s given online with a live proctor or at a test center. CCHI’s oral CHI and ETOE exams are given only at test centers.3,1
How long does it take to get certified?
Training is 40 hours. After you pass CoreCHI, you have 12 months to pass CCHI’s oral exam. NBCMI gives you up to 2 years after its written exam to pass the oral one.1,5,9
What changes for CoreCHI in 2027?
From January 1, 2027, CCHI stops awarding the standalone CoreCHI certification. You still pass the CoreCHI exam first, then a CHI or ETOE performance exam within 12 months.5
Sources
Read on . Rules change, so check the source before you pay a fee or book a test.
- Eligibility · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- Interpreter Training · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- CoreCHI™ Exam · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- CHI™ Exam · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- CoreCHI™ Certification Sunsetting & Transitioning to the CoreCHI-Performance™ Certification · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- Fees · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- Renewal Process · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- Candidate’s Examination Handbook (updated October 2024) · Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
- NBCMI Candidate Handbook (February 13, 2026) · National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Interpreters and Translators · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics