Events Calendar

Special Events, Classes, Workshops, and Trainings

Affordable Language Services offers special events, classes, workshops and training. Stay on top of these and other valuable events, and take advantage of all we have to offer.

Bridging the Gap: Medical Interpreter Course

Bridging the Gap is the top training program for medical interpreters in the US. For over 20 years, Bridging the Gap has been preparing bilingual individuals to work as effective, competent, and professional medical interpreters. Bridging the Gap was developed by the Cross-Cultural Healthcare Program and is a pioneer in the field of medical interpreter training.  The 40-hour training covers topics, such as interpreter roles and ethics, interpreting skills, medical terminology, the impact of culture, and an overview of the health care system. The content of the training is updated constantly to ensure its relevance. Affordable Language Services is proud to be the only licensed provider of Bridging the Gap in Cincinnati.

Don’t forget: Bridging the Gap is one of the stepping stones to becoming a certified medical interpreter!

Training Location for Live Remote Sessions: 

  • Microsoft Teams

Schedule:

  • All live-remote sessions are conducted during a 10-day training program. Training hours are from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm on Thursday and Friday evenings and 8:30 am to 12:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays to complete 40 hours. Please see below for the specific training dates and times.

Total Cost:

  • $650.00 per person (includes: language testing and course materials). Full payment needs to be completed before the start of the program.
  • Participants must be able to prove their language proficiency in English and a target language. All participants will complete a language proficiency assessment for English and their target language.

2024 Live Remote Session:

April 2024: Live-Remote Session: April 5th-7th, April 11th-14th, April 19th-21st

Registration is now open! If you have any general questions about the training, please contact our Training and Quality Department.

Contact Information

  • Elba Madison – Trainer
  • Joe Brucker- Training and Quality Specialist
  • Email: tqdept@affordablelanguages.com
  • Information via telephone: 513-745-0888 Opt 5

Is this training offered online?

We will be hosting our April and October sessions with a hybrid model. The first and last classes will be in person and the rest will be remote. A fully online option is available for certain participants.

What language is the training available for?

All languages

What language is the course taught in?

English

Do I have to attend all 40 hours?

Yes. Under the license agreement with BTG, in order to receive a certificate of completion you must attend all 40 hours and receive a passing score on the final exam. 

What happens if I don’t pass the test?

Participants who do not receive a passing score will have the opportunity to take a makeup exam covering material for the entire course. Please note that there is an additional fee involved for taking the makeup exam at a later point in time.

If I take Bridging the Gap, will I be certified?

No. You can refer to yourself as a qualified medical interpreter once you pass BTG, but you will not be considered nationally certified.

How do I become a certified medical interpreter?

There are two national organizations offering certification for medical interpreters. For more information, please refer to:

www.healthcareinterpretercertification.org/

www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org/

Note that BTG or an equivalent program is required to take the certification exam.

What about ASL interpreters?

Sign Language interpreters have a different certification process than spoken languages and BTG is designed for spoken languages. For more information regarding certification examinations for American Sign Language interpreters, please see http://www.rid.org/ and http://www.nad.org/ for more information.

Do I get any CEU’s for this training?

Members of ATA (American Translators Association) will receive 10 CEUs.

I do not have experience in the medical field. Is the training appropriate for me?

Yes! The participants in BTG come from a variety of backgrounds from novice to professional interpreters. The class is taught in a way that incorporates and includes differing skill levels.

Here is what some of our participants have said:

  • “It was a great class! I cannot wait for the next opportunity to take continuous training.”
  • “I am now more prepared and will have more confidence while interpreting.”
  • “The most valuable aspect that I learned during the course was the different roles and values of the interpreter.”
  • “Because of this training I will be more aware. I will include the techniques for interpretation learned in this course as well as what was learned in the practical exercises.”
  • “Amazing teacher! Shares a wealth of experience!”
  • “Learning more how to deal with difficult situations was the most valuable aspect of this training to me.”
  • “BTG has allowed me to reflect on and improve my approach to real situations as an interpreter.”