Culture Advantage LC

Professional Medical Interpreter Training for Acute Care and Ambulatory Care

Culture Advantage graduates have a strong record for passing both CCHI and NBCMI national certification exams!

Interpreting: Provider-managed, Patient-centered, Interpreter-facilitated Communication

Medical Interpreting: Provider-managed, Patient-centered, Interpreter-facilitated Communication ©

Designed by healthcare professionals, Culture Advantage offers language specific programs in Arabic, Chinese-Mandarin, Farsi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish, Vietnamese and other languages.

We specifically prepare interpreters for acute care (interpreting in hospitals and medical centers), and medical specialties where advanced medical knowledge in BOTH languages is critical.

In addition, we offer a program for interpreters who plan on working in the ambulatory setting exclusively, such as primary and outpatient care staff, community health workers, lay health workers, patient educators or health promoters who need a medical-based framework for understanding the healthcare system in which they work

For healthcare organizations, we provide assessment of bilingual staff's language skills and medical specialty knowledge in the non-English language, and customized training depending on organizational needs. Please contact us for for these services.

Training Programs


In our training programs, you will learn clinical concepts in both languages so you can be knowledgeable about the medical conditions and the procedures that you will be interpreting, instead of simply memorizing medical terminology.

For example, you will gain a view into the mindset of a medical provider performing an admission assessment and ordering diagnostic procedures on a patient with acute CVA (cerebrovascular accident). You will be better prepared to interpret for a cardiologist explaining the possible complications of a PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) to a patient. You will be able to confidently interpret for an orthopedic surgeon explaining ORIF (Open Reduction Internal Fixation) to a preop patient.

You will learn about the US healthcare system, from language access and barriers to care, to end-of-life-care. Using our Medical Communication Model©, you will learn how to interpret "medically" and communicate professionally as an ad hoc member of the interdisciplinary medical team.

You will integrate both the medical and the patient’s perspectives with the standards and ethics for medical interpreters to guide you in critical-thinking and decision-making. We are proud of our graduates and students. We welcome you to the world of healthcare!

Program Fees


You may start at any time. There is no waiting period. Register for the program plan that meets your professional goals.

  • Preparation for Acute Care/Medical Specialties
  • 60-Hour Certificate
  • 12 to 16 Weeks Duration.
  • Intended for native English speakers, or native speakers of non-English languages.
  • Comprehensive Professional Curriculum in Both Languages
  • Includes 6 Coaching/Practice Sessions
  • 3 Language-specific Sessions included
  • 2 free Course Electives
  • Free national certification written exam review
  • 3 Hours of Free CEUs and Discounts to CEUs after graduation
  • $ 795

    plus $150.00 for the Comprehensive Final Evaluation (CFE)
  • CFE Fee to be paid when reserving the final exam date.
  • Expedited Program Plan (Less than 12 weeks available.)
  • Other payment options are available.
  • Interpreting in Ambulatory/Primary Care
  • 40-Hour Certificate
  • 9 to 12 Weeks Duration.
  • Intended for for native speakers of non-English languages.
  • General Curriculum with emphasis on English Medical Concepts
  • Includes 6 Coaching/Practice Sessions
  • May sign up for Coaching/Practice sessions.
  • May sign up for electives (Extra Fee.)
  • Discount to national certification review.
  • Discounts to CEUs after graduation
  • $ 595

    plus $100.00 for the Oral Skills Evaluation.
  • CFE Fee to be paid when reserving the final exam date.
  • Minority Language Option (Amharic, Nepali, Taiwanese, Turkish, etc.)
  • American Sign Language Option
  • Other payment options are available.
  • Please contact us for organizational discounts.

Our Healthcare Expertise


Designed by healthcare professionals, the Culture Advantage program is founded on the principle that clinical accuracy in interpreting in BOTH languages is integral to patient safety. In this regard, Culture Advantage developed a clinically focused, performance-based online learning experience in both languages.

In our program, you will improve your understanding of the clinical encounter, providing you with value-added skills and competencies that go beyond linguistics. Using your knowledge of the disease process, you will understand better the clinical significance of interpreting errors.

Marlene's Credentials...

Our Medical and Language Mentors, Coaches and Evaluators...

Program Design


Our training programs provide a strong grounding in medical concepts in both working languages, while gaining real-life medical communication skills, critical thinking skills, and strategies for interpreting complex medical cases and procedures.

Our programs prepare the graduate for the expectations that medical providers have, and conclude in a three-part Comprehensive Final Evaluation (CFE) that includes a live performance evaluation.

During a clinically authentic scenario conducted in both languages, the graduate is evaluated for linguistic, cultural, and clinical accuracy, while adhering to interpreting standards, ethics, and professional boundaries.

We are proud of our graduates and students, future members of the healthcare team.

Professional-level Curriculum

Starting with the foundational medical concepts, students are guided and supported using adult-learning principles in the acquisition of knowledge and mastery of interpreting skills.

Depth of Knowledge and Skills for Interpreters

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