Transform your bilingual skills into a rewarding career with our Spanish Community Interpreting Certificate Program, specializing in medical, education, and legal interpreting.

Prepare for a Career in Community Interpreting

Discover Your Potential As A Community Interpreter 

Your bilingual skills could lead to a fulfilling career as a community interpreter. In just 6 months, you’ll develop essential skills in Spanish interpreting for medical, educational and legal sectors. Graduates are equipped to make a lasting impact in their communities and beyond, with growing career opportunities across California and the U.S. California is the largest employer of community interpreters in the United States, with average annual salaries of $61,500.*


A Comprehensive and Flexible Approach

This newly revised Community Interpreting Certificate Program blends flexibility, accessibility, and skill-building opportunities. The program develops foundational skills applicable across various interpreting contexts and now includes educational interpreting, exposing students to all three key specialties: medical, legal, and educational. 

The online format allows you to study from anywhere, and participants have the option to enhance their learning through a three-day, hands-on workshop. This optional workshop, available to alumni and recent certificate program graduates, provides an excellent opportunity to put their skills into practice and gain additional insights into real-world community interpreting scenarios.

Features

  • Six-Month Online Program: Learn from anywhere through four online modules;
     
  • Interdisciplinary Curriculum: Gain expertise in legal, medical, and educational interpreting to increase your career versatility;
     
  • Ethical and Intercultural Competency: Learn the codes of ethics and standards of practice for each community interpreting field.
     
  • Building Knowledge Step by Step: The four educational modules gradually increase in complexity, with each module placing greater emphasis on simultaneous interpreting and challenging interpreting scenarios.

The Middlebury Institute Advantage

Join a growing global network of community interpreters who are fostering their career growth and professional development. Unlike traditional interpreting programs, Middlebury offers expert faculty, flexibility, and global accessibility. By focusing on Spanish as the core language, we’ve designed a program that prepares interpreters to address the needs of growing Spanish-speaking communities. 

Community Interpreting as a Profession

My name is Holly Mikkelson and I am the Director of the Spanish Community Interpreting Graduate certificate, which is a program that is available to students who are not enrolled in the masters program but who would like to be trained as community interpreters.

The courses begin with all online instruction and that happens from the fall through the spring semester.

And then beginning in June, students come to Monterey and we have face to face instruction where they’re actually practicing interpreting.

“Okay, let’s try another little scenario. So Annette will be our witness this time. If you could try to give longer answers to give Erin some practice in intervening, if necessary.”

The bulk of the program teaches students the basics of legal, medical, and educational social services interpreting. However, the last portion focuses specifically on certification test preparation. So throughout the course, the students get the basic skills that they need, and then at the end, we go into detail about what they specifically need to know just to pass the tests.

I think that this course does an excellent job of giving a detailed overview of the different fields where you can work and really use your language skills as an interpreter.

One of the things that differentiates this course from others is the hands-on nature of it and the fact that we actually simulate real life interpreted scenarios.

You are really right on the ground, in the trenches when people have a family crisis or something happens to them that changes their life. And community interpreters allow people to tell their story. They allow service providers to communicate effectively and provide the service they’re supposed to. So it’s very rewarding to be able to use your language in a way that really makes a difference in someone’s life.

Career Outcomes

In this recording of an online discussion, we review the career outlook for Spanish medical and legal interpreters in the U.S., including compensation data and career management frameworks. Watch the video. See what one alumni had to say about the program.

Apply

Applications are now open for 2025-2026. 

Review Payment & Refund Policy 

Curriculum and Schedule for 2025-2026

Fall 2025: Core Courses

Module One (September 15 - October 24, 2025): Basic Interpreting Techniques

  • This foundational module establishes the essential skills that participants will refine throughout the certificate program. The focus is on introducing core interpreting techniques, with an emphasis on consecutive interpreting while also providing an introduction to simultaneous interpreting. Participants will develop supportive techniques critical to successful interpreting, such as memory enhancement strategies and effective note-taking methods.

  • A key component of this module is helping participants understand how they process information most effectively, allowing them to leverage their individual strengths to improve their interpreting performance. The course meets weekly for six weeks on weekends, offering a structured and interactive environment to build confidence and proficiency in real-world interpreting scenarios.

 

One-Week Break (October 25 - October 31, 2025)
 

Module Two (November 1 - December 12, 2025): Medical Interpreting

  • This module develops the interpreting skills and knowledge necessary for medical settings. Participants will deepen their understanding of medical terminology, body systems, common diseases, and typical treatments. The module emphasizes the importance of researching terminology and acquiring new information to stay current in the healthcare field. It will also put in practice decision-making and encounter management based on the existing code of ethics and standards of practice when interpreting in the medical field.

  • Interpreting skills are applied to medical contexts, with a primary focus on consecutive interpreting while also incorporating simultaneous interpreting and an introduction to sight translation. 

 

Spring 2026

Module Three (January 4 - February 14, 2026): Educational Interpreting

  • This module focuses on the knowledge and skills needed for interpreting in educational settings. Participants will explore key areas where educational interpreters are essential, such as Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, school meetings, parent-teacher conferences, suspension hearings, disciplinary meetings, and other school-related interactions involving students, families, and staff.

  • Although consecutive interpreting continues to be practiced, the primary focus is on simultaneous interpreting, reflecting the dynamic needs of educational environments. Participants will build on the foundational skills developed in previous modules, applying them within the context of the educational setting. The module also introduces participants to the structure and processes of the U.S. educational system, helping them better understand the settings in which they will work.

 

One-Week Break (February 15 - February 21, 2026)

Module Four (February 22 - April 4, 2026): Legal Interpreting

  • This module focuses on developing the interpreting skills and knowledge required for legal settings. Participants will explore critical areas where legal interpreters are needed, such as court hearings, depositions, attorney-client meetings, immigration proceedings, and  administrative hearings.

  • Simultaneous interpreting is the primary mode emphasized in this module, alongside continued practice in consecutive interpreting and an introduction to sight translation tailored to legal contexts. Participants will also gain a deeper understanding of legal terminology, procedural language, and the structure of the U.S. judicial system, providing them with a strong foundation for interpreting in legal settings.

 

Late Spring 2026:  Optional In-Person 3-day Workshop

This dynamic 3-day workshop offers a perfect opportunity for certificate alumni to return and refresh their skills while providing newly graduated participants a chance to apply everything they’ve learned throughout the 6-month program. In person, and designed to reinforce interpreting techniques and foster real-world application, this workshop focuses on hands-on practice, collaborative activities, and expert-guided feedback.

Participants will engage in scenario-based exercises across fields, by using consecutive, simultaneous, and sight translation skills in a supportive environment. Beyond skill refinement, this workshop serves as a wonderful networking opportunity, bringing together a diverse community of interpreters to share experiences, insights, and professional connections.

Whether you’re looking to refresh your abilities or gain practical experience, this workshop is an invaluable resource for interpreters at every stage of their professional journey.


Next Steps

Tuition

  • Cost: $3,900

Contact Us

Contact us if you have any questions.

*Data source: Mean salaries for medical and legal interpreters in California for 12-month period March 2019 – February 2020 from Burning Glass® Technologies.

Accreditation, NC-SARA Information, and Online Student Resources