Medical language specialist vs medical interpreter

The differences between medical language specialists and medical interpreters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a medical language specialist, becoming a medical interpreter takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical language specialist has an average salary of $47,117, which is higher than the $43,593 average annual salary of a medical interpreter.

The top three skills for a medical language specialist include transcription, discharge summaries and dictation. The most important skills for a medical interpreter are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Medical language specialist vs medical interpreter overview

	Medical Language Specialist	Medical Interpreter
Yearly salary	$47,117	$43,593
Hourly rate	$22.65	$20.96
Growth rate	11%	20%
Number of jobs	71,209	47,796
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	45	42
Years of experience	12	4

What does a medical language specialist do?

A Medical Language Specialist transcribes medical reports recorded by physicians and other healthcare practitioners. They listen to recorded dictations of medical professionals and turn them into diagnostic test results, articles, and other documents.

What does a medical interpreter do?

Medical Interpreters are healthcare professionals who bridge the communication gap between patients and doctors. They interpret and translate medical findings and results in a language that the patient understands. Medical Interpreters are expected to have a deep understanding of medical terms and procedures to translate the doctor's message to the patient. They should have a deep understanding of the patient's cultural context and background. This would help medical interpreters relate to the patient and gain credibility. They should keep all information they come across confidential.

Medical language specialist vs medical interpreter salary

Medical language specialists and medical interpreters have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Medical Language Specialist	Medical Interpreter
Average salary	$47,117	$43,593
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $61,000	Between $27,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between medical language specialist and medical interpreter education

There are a few differences between a medical language specialist and a medical interpreter in terms of educational background:

	Medical Language Specialist	Medical Interpreter
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 40%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Health Care Administration	Business
Most common college	Duke University	Harvard University

Medical language specialist vs medical interpreter demographics

Here are the differences between medical language specialists' and medical interpreters' demographics:

	Medical Language Specialist	Medical Interpreter
Average age	45	42
Gender ratio	Male, 7.3% Female, 92.7%	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 7.9% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 35.3% Asian, 14.3% White, 39.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	15%

Differences between medical language specialist and medical interpreter duties and responsibilities

Medical language specialist example responsibilities.

Prepare budget and manage department's employees' time, attendance and payroll process.
Create documentation education classes to general surgery residents, increasing the leveling of reporting which lead to increase revenues.
Transcribe and edit for specialties including: cardiology, pulmonology, urology, pediatrics, psychiatry, oncology, etc.
Utilize extensive knowledge of medical terminology while following AAMT and HIPAA guidelines.
Type medical transcription from all medical specialties, combine with comprehensive self-pace dictation system.
Utilize voice-record dictation to transcribe and edit medical reports for several acute care hospitals.

Medical interpreter example responsibilities.

Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPAA and clinic.
Inform providers and patients of relevant cultural issues to assist providers in delivering culturally competent patient care.
Assist another medical interpreter in interpreting for patients who have trouble understanding English spoken by health professionals and receptionists.
Create education and promotional materials relate to Latino health and wellness.

Medical language specialist vs medical interpreter skills

Common medical language specialist skills

Transcription, 11%
Discharge Summaries, 8%
Dictation, 8%
Patient Histories, 5%
Medical Reports, 5%
Acute Care Hospital, 5%

Common medical interpreter skills

Patients, 35%
Customer Service, 11%
Patient Care, 8%
LEP, 7%
Informed Consent, 4%
Target Language, 4%

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Medical Language Specialist
Medical Language Specialist vs Medical Interpreter

Updated January 8, 2025

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