A Healthy Battle - Medical Interpreters Fought for National Certification

In 1986, the first association for medical interpreters was created in America, with certification as its charter. But it wasn’t until 23 years later, on 10 October 2009, that national certification was finally launched. The announcement was given at the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) in front of more than 600 medical interpreters. It received a standing ovation. But why did it take so long? And why do medical interpreters need it? To see more about this article published in the Linguist, UK, please go to:  http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/docs/National_Certification_Article_The_Linguist_12.09.pdf


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. 


2007 National Survey on Certification Results:
http://nmictf.org/content/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/nmic-survey-results.ppt