Since the certification of medical/healthcare interpreters was established, thousands of interpreters have sought and received a credential. All of us at InterpreterEd.com are proud of our leading role in training this new generation of interpreters. But more changes are coming in the interpreting industry.
What’s changing
- First are efforts to further develop confidence in the qualifications of those sitting for the CCHI certification exam. CCHI is now limiting the assessments that are accepted, and we are pleased that the InterpreterEd.com linguistic assessment is one of the few accepted for individuals seeking full certification.
- Second are efforts to increase interpreter compensation. Professional associations like the ATA, trade organizations like the ALC, standard setting organizations like NCIHC, and credentialing agencies like CCHI and NBCMI are joining forces to advocate for federal reimbursement.
Key to this funding is a large pool of well-trained, professional interpreters. Not simply interpreters who pledge to act professionally, but those who are independently certified in the same manner as doctors, nurses, and other health professionals. Interpreters who, as a group, consistently perform their duties in a standardized manner. This means training on standards of practice, continuing education, and periodic renewal of certification.
There are so many practicing interpreters who are untrained and underpaid, so they don’t have the money to pay for training, let alone pursue certification. This poses a barrier to the ultimate goal of a large pool of trained and certified interpreters. However, we at InterpreterEd.com continue to invest in the future, in a world where patients, family members, and clinicians can share the reassurance that comes with clear understanding.
What you can do
Please join us—work with any of the partners I mentioned and ask how to make your voice heard. Just send a simple email and ask how to support the effort to get reimbursement for the use of healthcare interpreters.
If you are not yet trained and certified, make it a goal for 2024. We are confident that our training approach, and our guarantee that includes tuition refund, makes the path to certification more certain. To further demonstrate our confidence, the top student in each of our 2024 January and February classes will receive support in the form of a grant to begin their pursuit of certification through CCHI.
We know that trained and certified interpreters know more, and do their work better, than those who are neither. Quite frankly, they earn more too. And we also know there’s a better future for us all—join us.
Richard Antoine, MIB/MBA
Executive Director, InterpreterEd.com
