Interpretation

For 20+ years we have been increasing the number of health care, community, and legal interpreters in NH. As well as screening bilingual individuals/employees for language proficiency.

Find More Out Here

Why provide interpreters for clients/patients?

The Census Bureau reports that in the past 40 years New Hampshire has more than doubled the number of residents who are ethnic minorities.
- For more information about NH demographics, click here.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Protects people from discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance including Medicare, Medicaid, or grant funding to offer services.
- To learn more about the Language Access Laws for LEP individuals, visit LEP.gov
The National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards in Health and Health Care developed by the Office of Minority Health (OMH) are intended to advance health equity, improve quality and help eliminate health care disparities.
- Click here to learn more.

Training and Certification

A trained Interpreter is a person who successfully completed professional training
- (The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care recommends a minimum of 40 hour training).
A certified Interpreter is a person who is certified by a national interpreting organization (or state/federal court for legal interpreters) following an examination of language competency and interpretation knowledge.
- Certification is not required to work as an interpreter in NH.

If you would like information on getting an interpreter, please send an email with the needed language, in person region or if it is virtual, and the type of interpretation you need (Medical, Healthcare Community, or Legal). Email [email protected].

Classes for 2025

Health Care Community Interpretation Training

A 64- hour course offered in the spring and fall to bilingual individuals wishing to become foreign language health care and community (social services, education, etc.) interpreters.

Location: online
Dates: Tuesdays & Thursdays, September 2 - November 18, 2025
6:00 pm – 9:00pm.

To view the HCCI registration form, click here.

Legal Interpretation Training

A 70- hour course is offered in January for individuals wishing to become legal interpreters.

Next Training:
Dates: TBD

The curriculum is comprised of:

Language access law,
The role of the judicial interpreter,
Resources for interpreters,
The protocol of interpretation in court and in other legal settings,
The code of ethics,
Overview of the judicial system,
And more.

Language Proficiency Assessment

Professional Development

The purpose of assessing language proficiency is to assure that the bilingual staffs employed by your organization have the necessary skills in English and the target language(s) to effectively work with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) clients.
All participants in the Interpretation training are required to pass a language proficiency assessment. Organizations working with individuals who are not yet able to attend the interpretation training may still arrange to be assessed for language proficiency.
Email Sindy Rivera at [email protected] to make arrangements for the screening.

SNHAHEC offers also professional development classes for interpreters on topics like: