Third Cohort Completes USU Medical Interpretation Training; First at Statewide Campuses

Correction: The recently graduated cohort of Bridging the Gap was the program's third.

LOGAN — Utah State University’s new Bridging the Gap program recently finished training a third group of medical interpreters. At the end of June, 17 students completed the four-week health care interpreter course offered for the first time through USU’s Salt Lake Center.

“The course went exceptionally well, achieving a 100% graduation rate," said María José Velasco Burgos, trained Bridging the Gap facilitator and USU Extension assistant professor. "Participants were highly committed to learning and approached the class with a professional attitude. They are eager to enter the workforce and support their diverse communities in accessing care.”

Participants in the community-facing class earn a certificate in medical translation — the first step to national certification — and an important growing field. June’s cohort included local health workers and individuals working with refugees and nonprofit organizations.

“We are very excited that this program provides necessary skills, training in ethics and procedures, (and) content knowledge,” said Assistant Professor of Translation and Interpretation Elsa Pérez. “These skills … are urgently needed in our state.”

Initiated in 2023, the training — designed to meet the needs of increasingly diverse demographics in Utah and beyond — is offered both as a credit-bearing class for USU students and as a 40-hour certificate course for community members. The summer session offered through USU’s Salt Lake Center was the first in a series of planned expansions to bring this training to other parts of the state.

Pérez said the medical interpreter class would be offered through USU’s Department of World Languages and Cultures in Logan, Salt Lake City, Moab and Utah County this fall. This is in addition to training in the Navajo language planned for the Blanding campus.

“We are currently developing a fully online program that will help our outreach as well,” she said.During the previous academic year, Pérez reported that more than 20 students were certified through USU’s program and that the training led to new professional opportunities for participants.

“Three of them got a job because of this … and are now working as interpreters for Logan Regional and Intermountain Healthcare hospitals,” she said.

Last month USU hosted the Utah Language Access Conference, sponsored by the Utah Translators and Interpreters Association. Pérez said multiple attendees expressed the need for more interpreters in the state. One participant cited thousands of health care interactions requesting language assistance each year.

“This training is crucial, especially given Utah's changing demographics and diverse population speaking various languages,” Velasco said. “Access to care remains a significant barrier, particularly in rural areas. Expanding these types of training programs to locations like Moab, Utah, can be life-changing for communities.”For more information about USU’s medical interpretation program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, visit chass.usu.edu/languages/translation-interpretation.