In this page you will find:

  1. Health Idioms and Phrases
  2. Salud: Medical Spanish Vocabulary Builders
  3. Medical Terminology Charts

VCI owes enormous gratitude to Mr. Contreras for creating these materials and his nephew Paul Garcia for making them available to all of us at VCI and allowing to use them in our training program.

Who was Bonifacio Contreras? (1943-2006) Born in Belen, NM. He grew up in Albuquerque’s south valley, graduating from Rio Grande High School in 1962. He attended both UNM and Arizona State University and graduated with degrees in Linguistics and related fields. Bonifacio (Bon) was a linguist, educator and Founder and Publisher of Educational News Services, Inc. He was awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship. He traveled extensively Europe, specifically in Macedonia, Yugoslavia, and Mexico. He published the monthly periodical “Salud Medical Spanish” from the Spring of 1996 to the Summer on 2000. Founded in 1989, Educational News Services, Inc. published monthly language magazines, grammar guides and books for English speakers learning Spanish. Educational News Services, Inc. was dedicated to providing a smooth transition from one language to another. Universities, colleges and High Schools across the country have used his magazines, grammar guides and books as supplements to curriculums.

Health Idioms and Phrases

This section has both a recording and a PDF of the accompanying booklet developed by Mr. Bonifacio Contreras.

How to use this recording

We suggest that you first download the PDF booklet and have it open when using the recording. The recording is only in Spanish. You will find the equivalent idiom or phrase in the booklet in English. To make these recorded exercises work best we suggest that you use a recording device that allows you to record yourself as you are doing the exercises. Most smart phones have recorder apps available. You can pause the recording if you need to and then repeat and record yourself saying the idiom or phrase in English. Playback your recorded exercise and check yourself for accuracy.

Click to download the Health Idioms & Phrases booklet.

Salud: Medical Spanish Vocabulary Builder

Quick and easy-to-use reference books for healthcare translators and interpreters.

Medical Terminology Charts

These PDF documents give an explanation of each medical term in English and Spanish.

Click on a category to display additional content.

Cardiovascular / Circulatory system

Digestive system / Excretory system

Endocrine system

Integumentary system / Exocrine system

Lymphatic system / Immune system

Muscular system / Skeletal system

Nervous system

Renal system / Urinary system

Reproductive system

Respiratory system

Mouth & Teeth

Children & Infants

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Other topics