In Washington, Oregon and California, the organizations that maintain CE credits keep a close eye on the quality of the training that interpreters receive. This is what they ask interpreting training providers to submit:
Speaker
Needs to meet at least one of these requirements, the more the better:
- Have a degree in the field they are speaking about.
- If the field has certification, be certified based on whether certification is available for their language. If not, have the highest qualifications available for their language.
- Have 5 years of professional experience in the field they are speaking about, preferably current.
- Have several years of experience delivering professional training.
CE certificate
The activity itself needs to be specific. On the CE certificate, the following information needs to be reflected:
- The title of the session.
- The date when the session was given.
- The name of the instructor.
- The name of the organizer.
- The number and type of credits approved need.
- The date the session was approved.
Online trainings
There are new requirements for online courses. This matters because meeting in person is so difficult right now.
Define whether the course will be:
- Instructor-led distance learning
- Non-instructor led distance learning
For both:
- Establish a system that provides proof of full attendance and completion within the parameters of the medium.
- Provide clear end dates for return of quizzes or assigned homework (no open-ended completion dates)
For topics not obviously related to interpreting
For specialized topics,
- Establish how the topic is relevant to healthcare interpreters or court interpreters, depending on the CE being requested.
- If the topic is not interpreting, either have specialized qualifications or submit proof that the material was reviewed by a qualified subject matter expert in that field.
General information required
Submit the following material, just to make sure everything is there. Some of it will be part of the resumes, but they do prefer short bios, not 3 page resumes.
- Course description
- Learning objectives
- Plans for breaks
- Methods to ensure attendance and engagement
- Methods to assess learning and achievement
This material can be found at:
https://www.courts.ca.gov/2692.htm
https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/CIP-Compliance-Requirements.pdf
https://www.dshs.wa.gov/office-of-the-secretary/ce-activity-providers
Oregon Health Authority : Oregon Health Authority Approved Health Care Interpreter (HCI) Training Programs : Equity and Inclusion Division : State of Oregon (see “Become an Approved Training Provider”)
These requirements may be adopted in other states, but I only keep an eye on the West Coast, where I live. I hope this helps interpreters find continuing education that is meaningful and useful to them as they navigate the maze of offerings.
