The Membership Committee extends a warm invitation for you to join us and become regularly involved in activities with other IMIA members around the world.

As an IMIA member, you have many benefits and are linked to local, state, national, and international efforts to advocate for the right of linguistically diverse patients to a competent medical interpreter. You will also find that this is a community of empowerment, where medical interpreters are respected as professionals and as the experts in medical interpreting. To join please go to: http://www.imiaweb.org/members/application.asp

The IMIA is the oldest and largest organization of medical interpreters in the United States. Its membership of over 1,500 includes interpreters, trainers, providers, policy makers, advocates and others from not only Massachusetts, but also throughout New England, the United States and abroad.

Annual individual membership fees are $50 for 1 year, $90 for 2 years, or $120 for 3 years. 

What do my IMIA membership dues pay for?
 
Your membership supports the IMIA staff  
For this reason, we now have state and country representatives in growing numbers with each passing day, many opportunities for membership participation on multiple committees, the ability to offer Continuing Education Units for interpreters of any language, website resources, notices, etc. Our staff includes a very dedicated part-time administrator, a part-time operations manager, and several independent contractors: a lawyer, accountant, bookkeeper, webmaster, and others. Without their help we would not be able to comply with all the legal requirements a corporation demands. While the majority of our operations are done on a voluntary basis, including governance of a completely voluntary board of directors, the organization would not be able to do what it does without paying certain staff and specialists.
 
Your membership supports National Certification
As of October 10th, with the collaboration of many dedicated people, over many years, we were able to launch National Certification.  Contrary to other organizations that rely on grants, the IMIA since 2006, due to an increase in membership, has been able to self-fund the development of the written certification instrument and finalize the 23 year-old process to finally launch certification in 2009. Without certification we would not have a visible profession. We will continue to monitor and develop future versions of the exam in the future. I hope you will consider getting certified.
 
Your membership pays for Membership Benefits
The benefits our members prefer are the emails regarding training and job opportunities and the monthly newsletter. Many don't know that every day IMIA reps scan the news to see if there is anything related to medical interpreting, and then compile a list and include it on the newsletter so you can be informed of what is happening to your profession on a statewide, national, and international level.
 
Your membership supports Interpreter Representation in Many Conferences and Stakeholder Meetings
It is with great pride that the membership of the International Medical Interpreters Association, count ourselves among some of the most driven, ethical and professional medical interpreters worldwide.  Since 1986 we have collectively shown a true commitment to the advancement and promotion of professional medical interpreters by growing this organization to be nearly 2000 members across many nations.  In order to do this, we have IMIA representatives traveling and presenting at conferences at different states and countries. We are ensuring that the voices of professional interpreters are heard and that our profession is at the table when discussions about language access occur.
 
Your membership also supports our advocacy efforts
In 2009, the IMIA started to send delegates to Washington D.C. to continually stay in direct communication with State and Federal government officials responsible for legislature with updates regarding medical interpretation and its impact on Health Care Reform.  This is just the beginning of a long term engagement geared at providing legislation that protects medical interpreters as well as LEP patients and reimbursement for our services.
 
Your membership helps us support interpreter education
We have advocated for the professional growth and accredited training for medical interpreters everywhere and through our efforts have connected countless interpreters and health care providers with programs, forums and networking opportunities to continue to forward their careers in the field.  Our CEU program is a start, and our free Lifelong Learner Initiative Webinars will give interpreters access to free continuing education workshops.
 
Your membership provides you with a means of Career Advancement through Networking
It is important to stay connected to professional interpreters and those in leadership who can further our education, provided opportunities for employment, and allow us to educate others, to publish and create training programs as well as form lasting and meaningful relationships.  Our Divisions, conference and other activities promote opportunities for members to network and learn from each other.
 
Most importantly, your membership supports LEP patients, as without professional interpreters they do not have equitable care.
 
Many have shared with us that they have personally benefited since becoming members of the IMIA and that for a nominal fee of $50.00 in annual dues, their IMIA membership has proven to be invaluable.  Most importantly, it is the knowledge that their membership fee is making a difference.
 
The IMIA invites all members and prospective members to share with us what benefits they would like to see from the IMIA moving forward and we are pleased to take all suggestions under advisement.  Please email us at info@imiaweb.org with your thoughts and/or suggestions.


IMIA Members receive the following benefits:

• A subscription to the Monthly eNews giving you the most important information in the field (Click here to view a sample newsletter from November 2009)
  
• Discounted registration to the IMIA Annual Conference on Medical Interpreting
  
• Opportunity to participate in all IMIA networking activities, job fairs and discussion groups.
  
• Opportunity to share information and ideas on the IMIA listserv
  
• Opportunity for employment through IMIA job announcements and participation in IMIA "Find an Interpreter" listing
  
• Opportunity to see new Training Opportunities in the field
  

There are 4 classes of membership in the IMIA:

Annual individual membership fees are $50.  After you complete your application, you will be asked to pay online or to mail a check.  To send a check, make it out to IMIA and
send to:
IMIA
800 Washington Street
Box 271
Boston, MA 02111-1845

Once we receive your completed application and payment, a IMIA staff member will review and approve your membership.  Please complete your application thoroughly. Once approved, you will be notified by email and will be able to login to the website. (Please allow up to 2 weeks for approval).

Membership ID Cards
If you are already a member and would like to request a Membership ID Card, please email your request to: info@imiaweb.org.

If you are already a member and would like to renew, please click here.

If you are applying for corporate membership, please go to: http://www.imiaweb.org/members/corporate.asp

Corporate members have a set of benefits that are pertinent to corporate members only. If you have questions about corporate membership, please go to http://www.imiaweb.org/corporate/Benefits.asp

If you have any questions or need assistance, please email info@imiaweb.org.