By HAJIME UENO/ Staff Writer
November 13, 2024 at 15:29 JST
Minoru Naito, an associate professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies’ graduate school, has organized a medical interpreter training program that starts next spring. (Provided by the university)
To meet the growing demand for translators in health care, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS) will launch a medical interpreter training course next spring.
In collaboration with the Institute of Science Tokyo, the course will focus on English, Chinese and Vietnamese, with approximately 30 students expected to enroll.
The eight-month program will combine online classes with two on-site practical training sessions at the Institute of Science Tokyo Hospital.
Online lectures will begin in April on Saturdays, while the hospital sessions are scheduled for August and December.
To qualify for the program, applicants must be university graduates with advanced proficiency in Japanese and one of the three target languages.
The curriculum will cover a wide range of topics, including medical terminology, medical science, interpreter ethics and cultural diversity policies in Japan.
Upon finishing the program, students will receive a certificate of completion, and those who excel may be referred to health care facilities for employment opportunities.
According to Minoru Naito, an associate professor at TUFS’s graduate school and an expert in community translation, qualified medical translators have been in short supply while demand continues to grow, driven by the increasing number of foreign residents and visitors in Japan.
“This comprehensive 90-session program will cover everything from the basics of translator ethics and cultural diversity in Japan to practical medical knowledge and terminology,” Naito said.
TUFS has previously collaborated with Aoyama Gakuin University to train legal interpreters for Asian languages, Portuguese and Spanish.
The deadline to apply for the program is Dec. 22.
Applicants will be notified of the results of the document screening on Jan. 24, and written and oral examinations will be held on Feb. 9, with a fee of 6,000 yen ($38).
Admissions will be announced on Feb. 21. The tuition fee is 297,000 yen.
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