Frequently Asked Questions

Hospital & Health System Training

Interpretation is a specialized skill—not just the ability to speak two languages.

Training ensures that your staff can:

  • Communicate medical information accurately and completely
  • Meet federal language access requirements
  • Reduce the risk of medical errors
  • Improve patient outcomes and satisfaction
  • Follow standardized interpretation practices across your organization

Without proper training, even fluent bilingual staff may unintentionally omit, summarize, or misinterpret critical medical information.

Training your existing staff can significantly reduce costs while improving quality.

Organizations benefit by:

  • Reducing reliance on external interpreter services
  • Lowering overall interpretation costs
  • Maximizing the value of existing bilingual staff
  • Improving operational efficiency across departments

Over time, many organizations see interpreter training as both a cost-saving and risk-reduction investment.

There are no minimum or maximum enrollment limits.

  • Organizations can start small or train large groups
  • Tiered pricing is available for larger enrollments

This flexibility allows organizations to scale training based on their needs.

Yes—this is one of the primary use cases.

ALTA’s program is designed for staff who already have clinical or operational roles and also support interpretation.

Common dual-role staff include:

  • Nurses
  • Medical assistants
  • Frontline healthcare staff
  • Patient-facing administrative staff

Training ensures they can interpret accurately while maintaining their primary responsibilities.

Yes. ALTA’s program is designed to support compliance with Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The program helps organizations:

  • Train interpreters according to recognized standards
  • Test interpreter competency
  • Align with the federal definition of a qualified medical interpreter

This helps reduce compliance risk and prepares organizations for audits.

  • The program includes 40 hours of training
  • Most participants complete it within approximately 4 months
  • The course is fully self-paced, allowing flexibility for working professionals

Extensions are available if needed.

  • Cost: $110 per extension
  • Duration: Adds 4 additional months of access

There is no maximum access period, allowing participants to complete the program at their own pace if necessary.

The program is a comprehensive medical interpreter training and testing solution.

Participants receive:

  • Online coursework
  • Workbook with practice activities
  • Medical glossary in the target language
  • Live coaching sessions
  • Instructor-led office hours
  • Written competency exam
  • Oral interpretation exam

This ensures both knowledge and real-world interpreting skills are developed.

ALTA evaluates both knowledge and performance.

Assessment includes:

  • Ongoing knowledge checks throughout the course
  • A written exam covering terminology and concepts
  • A final oral exam simulating real medical interpretation scenarios

This ensures interpreters are fully prepared for real patient interactions.

Qualified Interpreter

  • Trained and tested
  • Meets federal requirements for healthcare interpretation
  • Required level for most medical settings

Certified Interpreter

  • Has passed a national certification exam (CCHI or NBCMI)
  • Represents a higher credential level

ALTA’s program prepares participants to become qualified interpreters and helps them meet the prerequisites for national certification.

Enrollment is simple and handled by ALTA.

Process:

Organizations provide a roster that includes:

  • Employee name
  • Email address
  • Language
  • Start date

ALTA’s team handles enrollment and setup.

Yes. Organizations receive access to an administrator dashboard.

Admins can track:

  • Enrollment status
  • Course progress
  • Activity completion
  • Final exam results

This provides visibility and ensures accountability across your training program.

Participants receive a certificate confirming:

  • Successful course completion
  • Qualification as a medical interpreter

This documentation can be used internally to support compliance and credentialing efforts.

Yes. ALTA can customize aspects of the program based on your organization’s needs.

This may include:

  • Language-specific coaching sessions
  • Training structure adjustments
  • Implementation planning support

Customization depends on the size and requirements of your organization.

In some cases, timelines can be adjusted depending on organizational goals and implementation needs.

This should be discussed with the ALTA team during onboarding.

Participants complete multiple forms of assessment throughout the program:

  • Ongoing knowledge checks
  • One written exam
  • One oral interpretation exam

This ensures both theoretical knowledge and practical skills are validated.

Every healthcare organization has unique language access needs.

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