Children's National Hospital·Washington, District of Columbia
Provide accurate Spanish-English interpretation services for patients and staff in critical and acute medical situations across multiple hospital sites. Facilitate communication, maintain professional boundaries, and educate staff on the appropriate use of interpretation services.
Kids Are Our Everything.
Department 10035 Language Service
Pay Range $22.08 - $36.79
Shift: Variable
The Medical Interpreter will provide language interpretation services to patients, families and staff in critical, acute, or chronic medical situations as needed. The Medical Interpreter will provide services in person, telephonically or via video remote to assist patients and families in their interactions throughout the hospital. This position provides in-person interpretation services across multiple Children’s National Hospital locations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. Assignments may include coverage at facilities in the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia, and Maryland, based on operational needs. Candidates must demonstrate flexibility and the ability to travel between sites to ensure consistent, high-quality language access services for patients and families.
Minimum Education Bachelor's Degree or equivalent years of experience. (Required)
Minimum Work Experience 1 year Experience as interpreter for individuals in critical situations. (Required)
Required Skills/Knowledge Bilingual Language Skills Fluency in English and Spanish Highly proficient in medical terminology
Required Licenses and Certifications Successfully pass the Interpreter Skills Assessment, or equivalent, provided by CNH. 40-hour Medical Interpreter Training Course Completion (must have proof of certificate from a reputable training institution). (Required)
Functional Accountabilities Eliminates Language Barriers to Patient Care Facilitate communication among patients, families, and staff Interpret directly and accurately, without omissions, addition or interference with communication Manage assignments independently without close supervision Set limits appropriately; maintain professional boundaries as interpreter; maintain patient, family and staff rights to confidentiality privacy Maintain professional role and sensitivity during critical medical and/or psychosocial situations; respect all parties in their discussion and their individual roles Abide by Interpreter Code of Ethics Demonstrate accurate, clear, and timely verbal and written communication Provide sight translation of patient of patient care related documents Provide document translation of limited list of patient related materials Promote Appropriate Utilization of Interpretation Services by Staff Educate staff in use of interpreter and available interpretation services Communicate with staff about staff needs and patient/family needs Work closely, interdepartmentally, provide recommendations by communicating information as requested and directed by medical provider/critical staff Partner with program staff to share best practices and to ensure cultural and linguistic requirements are met Advocate for patients/families with staff to facilitate continuity of care Provide sound recommendations to departmental leadership to ensure adequate services to non-English speaking patients and families Contributes to a Well-Organize Program Help to ensure interpretation assignments are coordinated accurately, effectively and efficiently Maintain schedules and required logs/tracking system in order to track project progress and productivity Keeping and organizing interpretation requests and reports Accurately document interpretation assignments in all systems and databases used and required by the program Facilitate the distribution, coordination, and assignment of day-today activities among fellow division staff and under the guidance of the division leadership The individual in this role may assume additional job duties beyond those outlined in this job description Why Join Us:
Nationally Recognized Excellence – Consistently ranked among the Top 10 Children’s Hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
Leading Pediatric Care – One of the largest and most comprehensive children’s hospitals in the country, offering nationally ranked specialties and cutting-edge treatments.
Innovation & Research – A premier academic medical center with a strong commitment to pediatric research, education, and advancing the future of child health.
Mission-Driven Culture – Dedicated to providing family-centered care while fostering a collaborative, supportive environment for clinical teams.
The disclosed salary range includes the minimum and maximum rates within which Children’s National believes an individual’s base pay rate will fall for this position.
It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the maximum of the pay range.
The exact pay rate for this position will be based on a variety of factors in alignment with the Children’s National compensation philosophy.
These factors are legitimate and non-discriminatory including, but not limited to, the current market conditions; organizational needs; the individual’s combination of prior work experience, level of education, knowledge, skills, and other qualifications.
Children’s National is committed to providing a fair and competitive total rewards package to each of our employees.
This base salary range does not include our comprehensive benefits package or any additional compensation for which this position may be eligible.
Childrens National Hospital is an equal opportunity employer that evaluates qualified applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, identity, or other characteristics protected by law. The “Know Your Rights” poster is available here: and the pay transparency policy is available here: Know Your RightsPay Transparency Nondiscrimination Poster.
Please note that it is the policy of Children's National Hospital to ensure a “drug-free” work environment: a workplace free from the illegal use, possession or distribution of controlled substances (as defined in the Controlled Substances Act), or the misuse of legal substances, by all staff (management, employees and contractors). Though recreational and medical marijuana are now legal in the District of Columbia, Children's National and its affiliates maintain the right, in accordance with our policy, to enforce a drug-free workplace, including prohibiting recreational or prescribed marijuana.
Requires a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and at least one year of experience interpreting in critical situations. Must possess a 40-hour Medical Interpreter Training certificate and pass the CNH Interpreter Skills Assessment.
Market context
In the District of Columbia, medical interpreter roles are often driven by multilingual patient needs in hospitals, clinics, and other care settings. These positions can be competitive because employers look for both language fluency and documented training, including a 40-hour Medical Interpreter Training certificate, prior critical-situation experience, and assessment results. Review the AI-summarized requirements and benefits on this platform to quickly compare fit, then confirm your credentials and prepare examples of high-stakes interpreting work before applying.
