If you’re working in the U.S. as a medical or healthcare interpreter, or if you’re providing interpretation services to U.S., healthcare clients, you may be surprised to know it’s not legally required to be certified in order to work. But, as with other things that may not be legally required, getting certified as a medical or healthcare interpreter is still a great idea for a number of reasons!
My first and biggest tip when it comes to maximizing the benefits of getting certified is: get certified before you start working as a medical interpreter! It can be incredibly difficult to leverage higher pay with a company you’re already working with. It was difficult even for me to ask for a higher rate after getting certified with the companies I worked with as a contractor. Many companies just ignored my messages, and the few that did answer often gave me reasons why they couldn’t justify a pay increase. Yet, I was able to ask for a higher starting rate with NEW companies much easier once I became certified! Very quickly after becoming certified, my rates with companies I signed on with after getting certified were higher than my rates with the companies I had contracts with before getting certified. So yes, higher pay is one potential (not always guaranteed) benefit of getting certified.
Additionally, getting certified opens more doors for more work opportunities in more way than one. First, by getting certified, you get placed in a public directory with all other certified interpreters with the organization that certifies you. Where do you think interpreting companies and healthcare facilities go when they’re looking for interpreters? That’s right, many of them go to the NBCMI and CCHI registry. I also noticed that I was getting contacted more often than my colleagues with similar profiles in the NBCMI database in the same geographic area, and I firmly believe this is because at the time I was the only person who had uploaded a photo of myself.
Secondly, certain interpreting companies and healthcare facilities turn first to certified interpreters for their interpreting services. Simply by being certified, you are now eligible for interpreting jobs you would otherwise not be eligible for. You will also find that this may result in being able to take certain types of assignments that may legally require prioritization of certified interpreters. Depending upon where you’re located, this may include worker’s compensation and other types of high-stakes medical assignments.
Another benefit of being certified that I hear from many students of medical interpretation is that getting certified can provide a boost in confidence and validation of your skills. While medical interpretation training programs are designed to teach you the basics of medical interpretation, they may not develop or even fully test your knowledge and skills in the same way that the national certification exams do. Obtaining your certification is proof of certain knowledge and skills specific to medical interpretation.
Lastly, getting certified as a medical interpreter helps to raise the bar on the profession. There is a common misconception that medical interpretation doesn’t require any specialized training or skills, and that being bilingual is “enough.” By joining your colleagues in getting certified, you’re doing your part to create a shift this erroneous expectation. Don’t you believe that people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) deserve to get the same level of medical care as English-speakers? If so, getting certified is a great way to signal to others that quality interpretation, and as a result people with LEP, is worth investing in.
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