The medical translator is one of many promising careers in the field of translator jobs. As a medical translator, you are going to provide translations in healthcare facilities or hospitals. To be successful in this field you have to understand medical terminologies used for any medical documents, diagnoses, or treatment plans. That is why working as a medical translator is also as complicated as being a legal translator compared to the terminologies used.
Career as a medical translator is expected to grow up to 24% by the year 2030 according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Of course, to be a trusted medical translator, you must get the certification.
Medical translation certification has many options for you who want to grow your career in the medical field. These are some medical translator or interpreter certification you might want to know before choosing which certification will do you best in this career.
CHI (Certified Healthcare Interpreter)
CHI is one of the most used certifications for medical interpreters and translators. If you are going to get the certification provided by CCHI (Core Certification of Healthcare Interpreters), you have to pass the CoreCHI exam first. The certificate from CCHI lasts for 4 years until the renewal. The recertification also requires you to have 40 hours of medical interpreting experience.
CMI (Certified Medical Interpreter)
The CMI certification consists of written professional skills exams and oral proficiency exams. If your target language from English is other than Korean, Cantonese, Russian, Spanish or Mandarin, you can take the Hub-CMI test which can be taken using other languages to then proceed your certification provided by NBCMI or the National Board of Certified Medical Interpreters.
Certified Professional Translator by ATA
The American Translator Association provides a professional certification program for those who need it. This can help you to be a certified translator with professional standards such as a legal translator or medical translator if you do not need the interpreter certification.
ISP (Interpreter Service Provider)
Medical interpreters for American SIgn Language (ASL) is also available for you which can be provided by the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA). However, you need application and specific training to get this certification.
You can take these certifications based on your needs or the requirements of the healthcare institution you enrolled in. However, it will be better to take one of these tests earlier due to the timeline from each certification.
Also, to be an eligible medical translator, you also have to go through an intensive learning process which you can get by applying for an entry-level medical translator or interpreter.
So, have you decided which certification will suit you best?
