Report of Medical Interpreter Certification Work in the United States

A primer, a status report and considerations for national certification.


Interpreter Certification Programs in the US - Where are we headed?

The article, by Nataly Kelly, is organized into several sections. First, the term certification is defined from the perspectives of different stakeholders. Government and professional organization initiatives for certification are reviewed,and a brief overview of training issues is provided to highlight these topics as they pertain to certification. This is followed by an analysis of certification efforts for sign language interpreters to illustrate how certification efforts unfolded in this particular area of interpreting. To provide more insight on the status of efforts in the medical interpreting profession, a description is provided of the foundation currently being laid for healthcare interpreter certification. Finally, several recommendations are provided to stimulate further discussion. 
 

National Coalition Aims at Certification for Health Care Interpreters

The drive for a national certification for healthcare interpreting advanced this week with the selection of a broad range of stakeholder organizations to develop the certification through the National Coalition on Health Care Interpreter Certification. The 17-member coalition includes organizations from among interpreting associations, training institutions, the language service industry, healthcare systems and employers, consumer groups,
and government entities. The Coalition’s first meeting will occur on May 29-30 in Chicago. Funding for the meetings comes through the non-profit foundation The California Endowment. The historic meeting launches a multi-year project, in which the Coalition will evaluate current healthcare interpreting testing instruments, investigate testing tools, consider certification in multiple languages, and develop a strategy for implementation. Four non-profits – The American Translator’s Association (ATA), the California Healthcare Interpreting Association (CHIA), the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA), and National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) – are serving as the Coordinating Committee for the coalition. On Tuesday they announced the selection of the following organizations to join them in the Coalition.To see the report of the first meeting of this group on May 29 & 30, click on the title link.