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Interpreter and translator training in Massachusetts

6 interpreter and translator programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

5 schools offer these interpreter programs, and Massachusetts has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Interpreters work in spoken or sign language and translators in written language; medical interpreters help patients talk with doctors and nurses, and court interpreters work in courts. Most have a bachelor's degree and must be fluent in English and at least one other language. Certification is usually optional, but most states require it for court interpreters.1

In Massachusetts, all 6 programs take students without a high school diploma.

By kind, the 6 programs here are medical interpreter course (3 programs), translator or interpreter certificate (general, 1 program), court and legal interpreter course (1 program) and sign language interpreting (1 program).

See the 6 programs

How much does interpreter training cost in Massachusetts?

$1,199 to $4,190 is what most interpreter and translator programs in Massachusetts cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 5 programs with a price. All of them: $1,094 to $12,455

In the typical program

Finished the program
Not reported
None of the 6 programs report it
Working 6 months later
Not reported
None of the 6 programs report it
Earned a year, estimated
Not reported
None of the 6 programs report it
Length
10 to 12 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Massachusetts may also offer interpreter training. How these figures are made

Is there free interpreter training in Massachusetts?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 6 interpreter and translator programs in Massachusetts approved for WIOA funding

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6 programs

  • Translator or interpreter certificate (general)OnlineNo diploma needed

    Professional Interpreter

    Worcester State University

    Based in Worcester, MA

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Worcester State University, based in Worcester, MATranslator or interpreter certificate (general) · Accredited schoolOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$1,094
    Program website, Professional Interpreter at Worcester State University
    More details about Professional Interpreter at Worcester State University
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    2 weeks, 20 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $1,094
    Program website, Professional Interpreter at Worcester State University

  • Medical interpreter courseOnlineNo diploma needed

    Medical Interpreting

    Middlesex Community College

    Based in Lowell, MA

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Middlesex Community College, based in Lowell, MAMedical interpreter course · Accredited schoolOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$1,199
    Program website, Medical Interpreting at Middlesex Community College
    More details about Medical Interpreting at Middlesex Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    10 weeks, 6 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $1,199
    Program website, Medical Interpreting at Middlesex Community College

  • Medical interpreter courseOnlineNo diploma needed

    Medical Interpreter (Spanish/English)

    Worcester State University

    Based in Worcester, MA

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Worcester State University, based in Worcester, MAMedical interpreter course · Accredited schoolOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$2,854
    Program website, Medical Interpreter (Spanish/English) at Worcester State University
    More details about Medical Interpreter (Spanish/English) at Worcester State University
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    10 weeks, 20 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $2,854
    Program website, Medical Interpreter (Spanish/English) at Worcester State University

  • Court and legal interpreter courseOnlineNo diploma needed

    Legal Court Interpreter Spanish Basic to Advanced

    Quinsigamond Community College

    Based in Worcester, MA

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Quinsigamond Community College, based in Worcester, MACourt and legal interpreter course · Accredited schoolOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$4,190
    School website, Legal Court Interpreter Spanish Basic to Advanced at Quinsigamond Community College
    More details about Legal Court Interpreter Spanish Basic to Advanced at Quinsigamond Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    13 weeks, 20 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $4,190
    School website, Legal Court Interpreter Spanish Basic to Advanced at Quinsigamond Community College

  • Sign language interpretingIn personNo diploma needed

    Sign Language Interpreting Certificate

    Northern Essex Community College

    Haverhill

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Northern Essex Community College, HaverhillSign language interpreting · Accredited schoolIn person · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourself$12,455
    School website, Sign Language Interpreting Certificate at Northern Essex Community College
    More details about Sign Language Interpreting Certificate at Northern Essex Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    80 weeks, 20 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    $10,729
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    $12,455
    School website, Sign Language Interpreting Certificate at Northern Essex Community College

  • Medical interpreter courseOnlineNo diploma needed

    Medical Interpreting Training Program

    Springfield Technical Community College

    Based in Springfield, MA

    Accredited school

    No diploma needed

    Springfield Technical Community College, based in Springfield, MAMedical interpreter course · Accredited schoolOnline · No diploma needed

    Earned a year, estimatedNot reported
    Price if you pay yourselfNot reported
    Program website, Medical Interpreting Training Program at Springfield Technical Community College
    More details about Medical Interpreting Training Program at Springfield Technical Community College
    Finished
    Not reported
    Working at 6 months
    Not reported
    Earned in a quarter
    Not reported
    Length
    10 weeks, 6 hours a week
    Cost of supplies
    Not reported
    Students counted
    Not reported
    Earned a year, estimated
    Not reported
    Price if you pay yourself
    Not reported
    Program website, Medical Interpreting Training Program at Springfield Technical Community College

How to pay for interpreter training in Massachusetts

WIOA funding can pay for interpreter training in Massachusetts

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for interpreter training

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.67

GI Bill for interpreter training

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.8

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Other training in Massachusetts

How interpreter training compares with the rest of business and office work: Business and office training in Massachusetts

Where the Massachusetts interpreter program numbers come from

Which Massachusetts interpreter programs are on this list?

These are the interpreter programs Massachusetts approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).9 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Massachusetts offers.

How the prices and results of Massachusetts interpreter programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about interpreter training in Massachusetts

Show the 9 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Interpreters and Translators
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  8. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  9. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List