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Report on the Tennessee Association of Professional Interpreters and Translators (TAPIT) Conference Nashville - Sept. 11-14, 2009

Posted Wed, 09/23/2009 - 12:02 by philip

“National Medical Interpreter Certification is right around the corner…”
So started the first day of the conference, known as “Medical Friday,” as Espi Ralston, an interpreter at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and interpreter trainer, talked about TAPIT’s Healthcare Interpreter Certificate Program. She advised everyone to get ready for certification and to get training.
 
Marvyn Bacigalupo-Tipps, the president of TAPIT, announced that this was the best attendance for “Medical Friday” ever, with 85 people in attendance - a big increase from the first time they held a special day for medical interpreters four years ago when 35 people came. There were participants from Tennessee, Ohio, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina and beyond. Linda Joyce attended representing the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI).
 
According to Marvyn, who did a lot of work this summer promoting the conference, many participants came this year specifically to hear about the progress toward certification, and although TAPIT has not endorsed any medical certification program at this time, it strongly supports the concept of national certification for health care interpreters.
 
Linda gave an update on the progress toward national certification from the NBCMI at the noon luncheon. When she asked, “Who’s ready for national medical interpreter certification?” the majority raised their hands. She announced that the National Board was launching a written pilot exam at the conference, and there was a great response to this call, with 30 people signing up. Dandra Whaley, Executive Director of the Health Assist Tennessee program, was one of the providers who came for this update, and she congratulated the NBCMI for their work.
 
There was an NBCMI table prominently placed in the exhibit area. It became a central focus for many, as interpreters signed up for the written exam pilot and promised to get the word out and pass out the fliers with the information on how to register for the pilot. They picked up information on advocacy for medical interpreters, Lou Provenzano’s letter to the editor of the New York Times on the “Case for National Certification of Medical Interpreters”, and the latest information on NBCMI’s progress toward the certification process. Everyone received an invitation to the Fourth Annual May 1 National Medical Interpreters Certification Open Forum in Washington, D.C. and picked up NBCMI tee shirts.
 
There was tremendous interest in not if, but when will we have certification, and lots of discussions. Here are some important highlights:
 
 
Get certified!
Kerri Banks, an interpreter at Knoxville’s East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, said that their supervisor of interpreter services is also the supervisor of the social workers. All the social workers are certified, and their supervisor had told them to “stay on top of certification.” She wants all the interpreters to get their certification as soon as possible.
 
The oral pilot:
Geraldine Spurgin of the Hamilton County Health Department in Chattanooga gave some feedback on the oral exam pilot. She said five of them took the test, and realized that although it was challenging for them, it was a test at a necessary level to put medical interpreters anywhere, in any setting. They decided they needed to study and prepare themselves to pass the actual exam when it becomes available. They began a program of self study on medical terminology, memory retention and note taking. As a consequence of taking the pilot, they started a newsletter that will go over the various body systems, talk about medical terms, put in information on cultural issues, sight translation, note taking and more.
 
The Job Analysis survey:
Kurt Snyder, an enthusiastic interpreter from Vanderbilt said that when he took the survey, he thought, “Wow! These people are serious!” He took fliers with the information on how to sign up for the written exam pilot to pass out to all his colleagues. He said he would try to come to the May 1 events in D.C.
 
Eta Trabing, Director of the Berkana Language Center, was the featured guest presenter and keynote speaker, giving a number of skills workshops on Medical Friday and some on Saturday, the start of the actual Conference. On Sunday, Nancy Schweda Nicholson from the Department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at the University of Delaware gave a popular presentation on Processing Strategies for Interpreters. Both of them expressed keen interest in the march toward certification.
 
 
Report by: Linda Joyce, Sept. 15, 2009