The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) and the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI) require the following:
- Age 18 or older
- Minimum high school diploma or GED, or the equivalent from another country
- Language proficiency in both English and the second language (see below)
- Successful completion of at least 40 hours of interpreter training
English Language Proficiency
Candidates must have one of the following:
- High school diploma (or equivalent) from an English-speaking country, or from an American school abroad
- Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral degree, or any other degree from any U.S. college or university or other English-speaking country
- Successfully passed one of the following tests:
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): 570+ on paper; 230+ on computer version; 90+ on iBT
ELPT (English Language Proficiency Test): 950+
MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): 80+
ECPE (Examination for the Certificate of Proficiency in English): PASS
FCE (First Certificate in English, Level 3): A
CAE (Certificate in Advanced English, Level 4): B
CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English, Level 5): B
IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 7.0
Second Language Proficiency
Candidates must have one of the following:
- High school diploma (or equivalent) from the country where the second language is spoken
- Bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral degree, or any other degree from an institution of higher education in a country where the second language is spoken
- 24+ semester college credit hours of the second language
- ACTFL Oral Exams (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages): Advanced Mid-Level
- Parrot: Level ILR 2+
