Training Course
Bridging the Gap
Become a Qualified Medical Interpreter with live, in-person training. This course is a nationally recognized medical interpreter training developed by the CrossCultural Health Care Program.
Next Course: August 18th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, and 27th, 2025
$675
Live, In-Person Training
40 Hours Training
5 Class Sessions
Training Course
Bridging The Gap
Next Course: July 7th – 11th, 2025
$675
Live, In-Person Training
40 Hours Training
5 Class Sessions
PROFESSIONAL LEVEL TRAINING: QMI IN-PERSON
This course is a nationally recognized medical interpreter training developed by the Cross Cultural Healthcare Program over 25 years ago. Liberty Language Services is a licensed trainer for the Washington, DC Metro area.
Engage with a live instructor. This classroom-based learning experience is taught by a dedicated, live instructor.
After taking the course, you’ll be able to work as a Qualified Medical Interpreter (QMI) for hospitals, medical offices, rehabilitation centers, and other healthcare settings.
- Practice interpreting in small group sessions facilitated by your experienced instructor.
- Complete the course and apply for national certification through NBCMI or CCHI. This course meets the 40-hour training requisite.
- Basic interpreting skills
- Interpreter roles
- Codes of ethics for medical interpreters
- Integrated medical terminology, anatomy, and physiology
- The United States health care system
- The role of culture in interpreting
- Payment plans are available. We make it easier for you to earn your QMI certification by offering monthly payments.
All Included
✓ Free Access to Liberty’s Oral Language Proficiency Test (with certificate)
✓ One Textbook and One Glossary for Medical Interpreters
✓ Training Certificate of Completion
Upcoming BTG Classes: 5 Days of Live, In-Person Sessions
Each class will be held from 8 AM to 4 PM Eastern Time*:
✓ August 18th, 20th, 22nd, 25th, and 27th, 2025
✓ October 6th – 10th, 2025
✓ November 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th, and 12th, 2025
*2025 dates and locations are subject to change
Our Instructors
Sameh Abdelkader
Sameh Abdelkader is the Director of our Education Department and is the lead instructor for two medical interpreter training courses: the nationally recognized 40-hour Bridging the Gap (BTG) course and the 48-hour The Community Interpreter: Medical Edition course. In 2012, Sameh delivered the BTG course to over 120 students.
Mr. Abdelkader has over 22 years of experience in education and has brought his skills in management, teaching, training, recruitment, and cultural competency to Liberty Language Services.
Mr. Abdelkader holds a B.A. in English from Zagzig University in Sharkya, Egypt. In addition to being a licensed trainer for BTG and The Community Interpreter: Medical Edition, he is also a licensed trainer for the legal interpreter training course, The Language of Justice. As an educator and member of the IMIA, he adheres to the IMIA Educators Code of Ethics.
Sameh’s Professional Certifications
- 40-hour Interpreting in Health and Community Settings (NVAHEC)
- 40-hour Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training Course
- The Community Interpreter Training of Trainers (TOT)
- 3-day Language of Justice Legal Interpreter Training
- Bridging the Gap TOT
- The Language of Justice TOT
- Awarded “Distinction in Interpreter Education” IMIA 2015
- Completed a 16-Hour Online Training of Trainers: The Interpreter Trainer Online
Maria Teresa Buendia
Ms. Buendia is the Assistant Director of our Education Department and is an interpreter trainer and certified healthcare interpreter (CHI) for Spanish/English and has held CHI Spanish certification since 2013. Maria Teresa is a licensed instructor for Bridging the Gap and instructor for the training course Behavioral Health Interpreting developed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services. She is an experienced video remote interpreter and, since 2020, has trained over 250 interpreters for remote video interpreting and telemedicine interpreting assignments.
Additionally, she developed new and updated language proficiency tests, including specialized tests for public schools, behavioral health, and medical settings. Maria Teresa has a degree in microbiology from Universidad de Los Andes Bogotá, Colombia. In April 2021, she was a presenter at the annual Virginia Language Access Conference.