You are eligible if you are a Washington state resident, 18 years of age or older with a high school diploma (or GED) or higher academic degree(s), or its equivalent from another country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please log in to your LTC Gateway profile to schedule a test. Once you are logged in, click the blue Schedule Test button to go to the online appointment system.
If you don't have the Schedule Test button on your Gateway profile, that means there is missing candidate information. Please make sure that all required fields (*)in the Candidate Details tab, your primary address and email address are filled to enable the schedule test button.
Please refer to the LTC website’s Test Registration Information page for more details.
To check your current four-year credential cycle’s renewal information, log in to your Gateway profile. Go to the Credentials tab and click on the magnifying glass
icon under Actions.
Completed items are in green and pending items are in red.
Example:
To set up a profile, please go to Secure Access Washington (SAW). You can use your existing SAW account if you already have one or create a SAW account if you don’t have one yet.
Please make sure to save the SAW login username and password you used to submit your candidate access request to Gateway. This is the only account you can use to login to Gateway.
For detailed instructions, please refer to the LTC Gateway User Manual.
Important note:
When setting up your Gateway profile, make sure to complete all the required
information (*)on the Candidate Details, Addresses, and Email tabs.
All credential renewal requirements must be submitted through the LTC Gateway system.
Please refer to the LTC Gateway User Manual Section 4.7.4 CE Activities (pages 46-49) for detailed instructions to submit DSHS approved CE activities.
Make sure to upload a copy of the certificate of completion and enter the activity date that matches the date on the certificate.
The error message means you are using the wrong SAW (Secure Access Washington) account. If you have more than one SAW account, try to log in to each account. You can only access Gateway with the SAW account you used when you first registered and were approved for access.. The correct SAW account will have Language Testing and Certification Gateway on your list of services from DSHS.
Important Note:
Secure Access is for SAW-related issues ONLY. Please do not email Secure Access for Language Testing and Certification (LTC)-related issues. LTC is always your first point of contact if you have any questions regarding Gateway and test/credential information.
The best way to reach us is by email at dshsct@dshs.wa.gov.
For DSHS Social Service Interpreter and Document Translator credentials, after you have passed the required tests, you will receive notification by email with instructions to log in to LTC Gateway to view the letter with test scores and information on completing the free Social Services Orientation and Ethics Orientation trainings. When you complete the orientations, go to the Credentials tab to request your credential.
For medical interpreter candidates, submit the test score reports of the written and oral tests you passed (should be within two years of test date) to dshsct@dshs.wa.gov. LTC will enter the test information on your Gateway profile. You will then receive notification by email with instructions to log in to LTC Gateway to view the letter with test scores and information on completing the free Medical Orientation and Ethics Orientation trainings. When you complete the orientations, go to the Credentials tab to request your DSHS Medical Interpreter-Recognized credential.
The Medical Orientation and Ethics Orientation trainings apply only to candidates requesting a DSHS medical interpreter credential for the first time.
All DSHS credentials are valid for four years and will expire at the end of the four-year cycle unless the interpreter/translator submits ALL the renewal requirements per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Section 388-03-160.
All renewal requirements must be submitted through LTC Gateway:
- 16 general credits - Earned any time in the four-year cycle. Need to be completed prior to credential expiration date.
- 4 ethics credits - Earned one credit per calendar year of your credential cycle. You can access the annual ethics training and quiz directly on your Gateway profile, and the date you take the quiz will be added to your record once completed. You must complete each credit on time. If you miss a credit, you won't be able to make it up. If you have more than one credential, one ethics credit will apply to all your credentials.
- Signed Code of Conduct - Complete this on your LTC Gateway profile’s "Renewals" tab.
- Background Check Attestation - Complete this on your LTC Gateway profile’s "Renewals" tab.
If you have completed all the renewal requirements for your credential, it will automatically renew at the end of the four-year cycle (as shown under the Expiration Date in your Gateway’s Credentials tab). You will receive notification of the renewal with a copy of your new certificate by email. You can also log in to your Gateway profile to download a copy in the Credentials tab.
You do not need to use the green Request Credential button in Gateway. It is only for candidates who have just passed the required tests and are requesting a new DSHS interpreter/translator credential.
LTC is unable to issue an updated credential before the renewal date. You will have to wait for the new credential to be issued.
Please visit the LTC website’s Test Information page for more details on medical interpreter test requirements.
- Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
LTC accepts written and oral tests that CCHI administers (for Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin) or recognizes as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE).
Please register for the test(s) directly with CCHI. For more information, please visit their website Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI).
- The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI)
LTC accepts written and oral tests that NBCMI administers (for Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese) or recognizes as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE).
Please register for the test(s) directly with NBCMI. For more information, please visit their website The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI).
- ALTA Language Services (available in Screened Languages – please see list on the LTC Test Information page)
- Not available for Certified Languages: Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese
Candidates must pass all three ALTA Language Services tests below to apply for a DSHS Medical Interpreter-Recognized credential:
- English Reading Test (Passing score: ILR 3 / ALTA 9, or above)
- English Interpretation Code of Ethics-Medical Test (Passing score: Qualified)
- Consecutive Medical Interpreter Test with passing score of ALTA Level 10 – Advanced Plus, or above.
Please email LTC at dshsct@dshs.wa.gov for test registration and provide full name, Gateway Candidate ID Number, email address, phone number, language, and a copy of official photo ID.
The language certifications/authorizations issued based on DSHS Language Testing and Certification Program (LTC)-administered tests are:
1. Social Service Interpreter – Certified
2. Social Service Interpreter – Authorized
3. Document Translator – Certified
4. Medical Interpreter – Certified *
5. Medical Interpreter – Authorized *
* Renewals only. No new credentials will be issued because LTC no longer administers the medical interpreter tests.
6. Medical Interpreter – Recognized **
** Credential is issued based on test score reports of passed written and oral medical interpreter tests provided or accepted as evidence of proficiency in a language other than English (LOTE) by an approved third-party testing entity listed on the Language Testing and Certification Program | DSHS website.
LTC Gateway is the database system that stores candidate and credential holder profile information.
The system also provides the process for candidates to schedule tests, take the written tests, record test scores, complete orientations, and request new credentials.
Credential holders’ renewal requirements are completed in the Gateway system.
The first step for new candidates is to create a profile in the LTC Gateway database system before they schedule a test with LTC or apply for a DSHS credential with a third-party test score.
To apply for a DSHS Social Service Interpreter and/or Document Translator credential(s), candidates must pass the required written and oral tests administered by LTC and complete the free orientation trainings in Gateway.
To apply for a DSHS Medical Interpreter-Recognized credential, new candidates and medical interpreters with an expired DSHS credential should test with one of the third-party testing entities listed on the LTC website’s Test Information page. Formal score reports of written and oral medical interpreter tests you have passed must be submitted to LTC at dshsct@dshs.wa.gov within two years of test date.
New candidates need to complete the free medical interpreter orientation trainings in Gateway before submitting a request for the credential.
Per Washington Administrative Code (WAC) Section 388-03-160 Section (2):
If you have been certified or authorized as an interpreter or translator and are not a department employee, you can maintain your certification or authorization status by:
(a) Earning a minimum of twenty credit hours of DSHS approved continuing education (CE) every four years, of which at least one credit hour per year must be in ethics training. A current list of DSHS recognized continuing education and/or professional development courses is published on the LTC website; or
(b) Retake the examination within four years from the date you were certified/authorized if you do not earn a minimum of twenty credit hours of DSHS recognized continuing education during this time frame. Once you pass all test requirements, a new certificate or authorization letter will be issued to you with a new expiration date.
One ethics credit should be earned per calendar year of your four-year credential cycle. You must complete each credit on time. If you miss an ethics credit, you won't be able to make it up.
Possible reasons why your CE credit submission was denied:
- You did not upload the certificate of completion.
- The certificate you uploaded cannot be opened. It must be in PDF, Word, or picture (e.g., .jpg or .png) format.
- The certificate of completion you uploaded is incomplete.
- Activity date does not match the date on the certificate of completion.
- The CE activity has already been approved for credit. You will receive credits for any given activity only once within the four-year cycle of your credential.
When your CE credit submission has been denied, you must re-add the activity, correct the error as indicated on the reason for denial, and reupload the certificate of completion.
For detailed instructions on how to add an activity and upload a certificate of completion, please refer to Section 4.7 of the LTC Gateway User Manual.