Certification in Utah

I live in Utah, where the state has had it's own certification program for Medical Interpreters since 2009. Unfortunately, since it was created before the National Board was up and running, all it took to become a "certified medical interpreters" in Utah was taking Bridging the Gap, and pay a $50 fee. No language assessment, no test, no continued education--that was it.  

After many years of complaining to the senator that sponsored the original bill, she agreed to hold a meeting of stakeholders and this year the law was revised and changed to require national certification instead, so I am very happy that the state realized the importance of not only testing the language proficiency of the interpreters, but that it has recognized the validity of the National Board and it's standards.  For languages that are not nationally certifiable yet (no oral exam), they created a tier 2 certification that requires interpreters to pass the written exam from the National Board or the certifying commission, so that they can at least demonstrate adequate knowledge of the field, and meet the pre-requisites in education.

The certification program is ran by the Department of Professional Licensing, and is optional. But hey, its a start!

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Comments on "Certification in Utah"

Comments 0-5 of 4

Zoila Alvarez - Saturday, September 23, 2017
1002063971

Fantastic ! I like certifications, too ! I live in California and I can choose but professionalism in any given job should come first..let alone basic patient's safety and recovery !

Greg Ross - Friday, June 09, 2017
1000835207

Testing is critical! People are finally understanding the difference between interpreters who have been meaningfully screened and those who have not. As a recruiter myself, I'm much more likely to hire an interpreter who has passed an NBCMI test or a Medical Interpreter Position Qualification (MIPQ) with LanguageStat. Thanks for sharing, Carlos!

Tram Bui - Friday, May 19, 2017
1000835726

Way to go UTAH ! I whole heartedly agree with Jazmin Manjarrez regarding a national mandate fot certification of medical interpreters. Thank you for sharing this inspiring news Carlos! Thank you to the National Board and all its directors for your continuos hard work in uplifting our honorable profession! Have fun at the 2017 IMIA in Houston!

Jazmin Manjarrez - Thursday, May 18, 2017
1000833960

That is truly wonderful news Carlos!@#$*!All states should follow suit and require medical interpreters to be nationally certified.@#$*!Only then can our profession truly flourish and provide successful patient outcomes.

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