ALTA Language Services
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I am taking the self paced 40 hour…
I am taking the self paced 40 hour interpreter training. Alta claims: "Launch your new career with our interactive 40-hour medical interpreter training! Earn a Certificate of Qualification to help you find work right away, plus meet the requirements to take your national certification exams. Our video-based lessons teach you all that you need to know in a fun, interactive environment. No medical background is required. It’s all online, so you can learn at your own pace and on your own schedule." This to me sounds like this course will prepare me for entry work and/or for National certification. This is so far from the truth. I didn't realize and had no way of knowing before I paid the $650. that I also need to learn note taking for consecutive interpreters in order to have a shot at passing Alta's oral exam, let alone the National certification exam. As anyone that is familiar with note taking knows, it very difficult and takes much time (I mean like 6 months or more) to learn just enough skills and get enough practice to just bearly get you by. So Alta forgets to mention this tiny detail-- that you need note taking experience before you can do any of it. Also, they don't tell you that you have one shot at passing the oral exam. If you fail, you have to wait 3 months before you can retake it and you are charged to retake it. I think Alta over promises and definitely under delivers with this "course." It's not what it promises. I feel cheated and dissatisfied. I can go on about the actual "training," but I won't waste my time or bother to get myself all worked up about it. I will just deal with the fact that I made a mistake when choosing Alta for my needs. A mistake that cost me $650.