Interpreting Certification Compared (Spoken Language)
Spoken Language Interpreting Certification in the United States: a comparison
Competency-based assessments are the foundation of credentialing in many professions, one of which is interpreting. According to the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, an assessment instrument is any one of several standardized methods for determining if candidates possess the necessary knowledge and skills related to the purpose of the certification. Professional certification is therefore a voluntary process and is bestowed by an organization granting recognition to an individual who has met certain eligibility requirements and successfully completed a rigorous assessment based on a job task analysis.
Interpreter certification is akin to licensure in many other professions such as psychology, occupational therapy, social work, professional counseling, architecture, or nursing. In the United States, there are three certifying bodies for medical interpreters: NBCMI, CCHI and DSHS/LTC (see chart attached). In this chart we are also including the Oregon Court Interpreting certification for comparison purposes because interpreters move from one field to another in their scope of work on a regular basis. Interpreters will have to choose which certification to pursue based on their working languages, the availability of testing sites, the delivery modality (on-site v. remote interpreting) and the applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In the State of Oregon, the Oregon Health Authority is the government agency responsible for regulating medical interpreters.
The following table compares the different certifications. These certifications meet the requirements of the Federal government on this page.
Terminology used in chart
| LOTE | Languages other than English |
| > | into |
| < | |
| approved | Approved activities/training means trainings or activities that meet the requirements of the certification bodies for continuing education purposes. Please refer to the website of each certification body for full details, which are beyond the scope of this document. |
Spoken Language Interpreting Certifications
| NBCMI NATIONAL BOARD OF CERTIFICATION FOR MEDICAL INTERPRETERS |
CCHI CERTIFICATION COMMISSION FOR HEALTHCARE INTERPRETERS |
DSHS/LTC DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL & HEALTH SERVICES/LANGUAGE TESTING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM WASHINGTON STATE |
OREGON JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT |
|---|---|---|---|
| TYPE OF CERTIFYING BODY | |||
| Private: a division of a trade association (International Medical Interpreters Association) | Private: a vendor neutral nonprofit corporation | Public: a state government agency | Public: a state government agency |
| YEAR CERTIFICATION PROGRAM BEGAN | |||
| 2012 NCCA accreditation obtained | 2012 NCCA accreditation obtained | 1995 | 1993 |
| CERTIFIED LANGUAGES | |||
| Spanish Mandarin Russian Cantonese Korean Vietnamese |
Spanish Mandarin Arabic |
Spanish Mandarin Russian Cantonese Korean Vietnamese Cambodian (Khmer) Laotian |
Arabic Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Cantonese French Haitian Creole Hmong Ilocano Khmer Korean Laotian mandarin Marshallese Polish Portuguese Russian Somali Spanish Tagalog Turkish Vietnamese |
| PREREQUISITES | |||
| 18 years of age | |||
| High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent | High school diploma or equivalent | not listed |
| Proof of language proficiency: each certifying body has slightly different requirements. | Proof of language proficiency: each certifying body has slightly different requirements. | None | None |
| WRITTEN EXAM | |||
| • Medical Terminology & Specialties • Medical Interpreter Ethics, Standards of Practice & Roles • Cultural Competence • Legislation and Regulations |
• Manage an Interpreting Encounter • Healthcare Terminology • Interact with Other Healthcare Professionals and Prepare for an Interpreting Encounter • Cultural Responsiveness |
• Interpreter Ethics • Language Proficiency in English & LOTE • Medical Terminology & Procedures in English & LOTE • Translation (multiple choice format) |
• English language • Court related terms and usage • Ethics and professional conduct. |
| ORAL EXAM | |||
| Consecutive interpreting Sight translation English > LOTE |
Consecutive interpreting Simultaneous interpreting Sight Translation English > LOTE Translation of healthcare documents (multiple choice format) |
Sight translation English <> LOTE (2 passages) Consecutive interpreting English <> LOTE |
Simultaneous English > LOTE Consecutive interpreting Sight translation English <> LOTE |
| OVERALL PASSING RATE | |||
| 75% | 74% | 36-38% | 48.54% written 18.4% oral 100% ethics |
| MANDATORY TRAINING FOR ACCREDITATION | |||
| 40 hours of approved training (pre-requisite) | 40 hours of approved training (pre-requisite) | 2 hours of ethics 2 hours of new medical interpreter orientation |
6 hours of orientation to courts 20 hours of observation 5 hours of ethics orientation |
| CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN THE CREDENTIAL | |||
| 30 hours of approved training every 5 years | 16 hours every 2 years, totaling 32 hours every 4 years 20 hours of documented work every two years, totaling 40 hours in 4 years |
20 hours every 4 years of approved activities of which 1 hour of approved ethics per calendar year, totaling 4 hours of ethics in four years. | 25 hours every 3 years of which 5 hours of ethics 10 general 10 language-specific |
| MANDATORY TRAINING COST | |||
| Estimated $320 – $800 | Estimated $320 – $800 | None | Orientation: $100 Ethics orientation (after passing oral exam): $50 |
| APPLICATION FEE | |||
| $35 | $35 | None | |
| WRITTEN EXAM FEE | |||
| $175 | $175 | $30 | $65 Ethics Exam (after passing oral): $50 |
| ORAL EXAM FEE | |||
| $275 | $275 | $45 | $325 |
| CREDENTIAL RENEWAL FEE | |||
| $300 | $300 | None | $150 |
This information was verified on November 17, 2016 for spoken language interpreting certifications. This information is subject to change by the certification bodies.
Sources:
- Interpreter certification and skills maintenance as key elements of quality assurance, Natalya Mytareva, Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, June 17, 2015
- Candidate’s Examination Handbook, Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters, July 2014
- Certification page, National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters Certification page
- Certified Medical Interpreter Candidate Handbook, The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, 2014
- Oregon Judicial Department Interpreter Certification Process
- State Court Administrator Policies for the Oregon Judicial Department’s Oregon Certified Court Interpreter Program
- Court interpreter Oral Examination Overview (by National Center for State Courts / Language Access Services Section)
- Court interpreter Written Examination Overview (by National Center for State Courts / Language Access Services Section)
- Oregon Court Interpreting Fees
- NCSC oral examinations ready for administration
Study Materials
- Washington State Department of Social and Health Services Study materials
- Law regulating occupations and professions in Oregon
- Law that governs healthcare interpreting in Oregon
- NCCA accreditation is renewable every 5 years. Registration listed on this site (Link verified Sept 26, 2016)
- Standards for Registry Enrollment, Qualification, and Certification of Health Care Interpreters
- Health Care Interpreter Program, Office of Equity and Inclusion
*Oregon requires 60 hours of healthcare interpreter training and has a list of preapproved training programs* - Affordable Care Act Non-discrimination in Healthcare Programs and Activities
Sources for overall passing rate:
- National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters Examination Summary Statistics: 2009, 2010, and 2011
- CCHI 2014 Annual Report: Setting the Standard for Quality in Healthcare Interpreting
- Fu, Hungling. State of Washington DSHS Medical Interpreter Certification, presented at UMTIA. June 2007
- Oregon pass rate data provided by Oregon courts on September 29, 2016, by Michaelle Gearheart, Certification and Training Coordinator, Court Language Access Services (CLAS) :
- Written Exam 2006-2016, Number of Examinees: 67, Pass Rate: 48.5%
- Oral Exam 2006 – 2016, Number of Examinees:521, Pass Rate: 18.4%
- Ethics Exam 2006 – 2016, Pass Rate 100%
All links verified on November 17, 2016. Links subject to update by external sites.
A preliminary version of this article was originally published in the Spring 2016 issue of Caduceus and was later republished in the ATA Interpreters Division Blog on October 10, 2016. New information is added in this version.
