The Community Interpreter® Online

TCIO, in tandem with our online courses on medical terminology, prepares you for U.S. national medical certification and other accreditations.

FAQ

Should I take The Community Interpreter® Online (TCIO) or The Medical Interpreter Online (TMIO)?

Interpreters planning on working in a variety of community settings should take TCIO. Interpreters planning on working in just healthcare settings should take TMIO. That said, both programs satisfy the 40-hour prerequisite training needed before applying for medical interpreter certification with CCHI or NBCMI.

The Community Interpreter® Online (TCIO) is the authorized online version of The Community Interpreter® International, the world’s leading entry-level program for medical, educational and social services interpreting.

TCIO covers the ethics, standards, protocols, skills and modes of interpreting in healthcare and community settings. It shows interpreters how to address communication barriers and manage cultural misunderstandings, with a special focus on message transfer skills (such as chunking, paraphrasing, parroting and anticipation) and best practices. TCIO also grounds the interpreter in vital decision-making skills.

TCIO is composed of 24 short courses. These 24 lessons include 9 video instructors, more than 240 interactive activities, 21 role plays in 9 language pairs, quizzes, videos of interpreters in action, and much more.

Meet the tcio video Instructors:

The program includes ebook versions of our two best-selling textbooks: The Community Interpreter®: An International Textbook and The Medical Interpreter: A Foundation Textbook for Medical Interpreters.

TCIO is fun! Its learner-centered and interactive skills-based training prepare you for the field. If you want to work as an interpreter in healthcare, schools or general community services, this program will launch your career.

Though created by spoken-language interpreters, this program warmly welcomes signed-language interpreters, who have benefited, and in many cases, become trainers for the face-to-face program. However, please note that “educational” interpreting in TCIO refers to “community interpreting in schools” (for parents) and not K-12 interpreting (one-on-one, for children).

TCIO Course Content (ESTIMATED TIME FOR COMPLETION: 40 HOURS)

TCIO Module 1 (Estimated time for completion: 9.5 hours)

Module 1 of TCIO is your introduction to the profession of community interpreting. It addresses healthcare, education and social services interpreting.

• Lesson 1.1: An Overview of Community and Medical Interpreting (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 1.2: Interpreters Credentials and Certification Take this lesson for free! (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 1.3: Ethics in Action 1 – Codes of Ethics for Community and Medical Interpreters (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 1.4: Ethics in Action 2 – How to Apply Interpreter Ethics (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 1.5: Ethics in Action 3 – Ethical Decision-making for Community and Medical Interpreters (2 hours)

• Lesson 1.6: Interpreter Self-Assessment (1.5 hours)

TCIO Module 2 (Estimated time for completion: 10.5 hours)

 This module dives into the skills and protocols necessary to conduct yourself as a professional medical or community interpreter.

• Lesson 2.1: How to Conduct an Interpreted Encounter (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 2.2: How to Perform Standard Interpreting Protocols (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 2.3: Three Techniques to Improve Memory Skills (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 2.4: Sharpen Your Accuracy! Message Transfer Skills for Interpreters (2 hours)

• Lesson 2.5: Practice the Modes of Interpreting (2 hours)

• Lesson 2.6: Advance Your Skills In Note-taking for Interpreters (2 hours)

TCIO Module 3 (Estimated time for completion: 9 hours)

Module 3 is your roadmap on cultural competence and what to do when communication breaks down in the interpreting session. By the end of this section you will have learned advanced strategies for cultural mediation that will help you facilitate meaningful cultural dialogue among participants in the encounter.

• Lesson 3.1: Cultural Competence 1 – Assess Your Unconscious Bias as an Interpreter (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 3.2: Cultural Competence 2 – When Should Interpreters Intervene? (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 3.3: Cultural Competence 3 – How to Intervene as an Interpreter (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 3.4: Cultural Competence 4 – How to Perform Strategic Mediation (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 3.5: Cultural Competence 5 – Cultural Mediation for Interpreters (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 3.6: Cultural Competence 6 – Advanced Strategies for Cultural Mediation (1.5 hours)

TCIO Module 4 (Estimated time for completion: 11 hours)

In this module, you will learn who you are as an interpreter and how you fit into the profession. By the end of this section, you will know what it means to be a professional interpreter and how you can conduct yourself to honor and uphold this important profession.

• Lesson 4.1: Understand Your Role – How Interpreters Make Decisions About Role Boundaries (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 4.2: Wait. They’re Going to Operate on the Wrong Leg! Advocacy for Community and Medical Interpreters (1.5 hours)

• Lesson 4.3: How to Follow Interpreting Standards of Practice (2 hours)

• Lesson 4.4: Interpreter Safety and Self-care (2 hours)

• Lesson 4.5: How to Perform Legal Interpreting in Medical and Community Settings (2 hours)

• Lesson 4.6: How to Be a Professional Interpreter (2 hours)