In the workforce, there are people who go to work with the sole purpose of receiving a paycheck. On the other hand, there are many who go to work, not for the paycheck, but for the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, and interpreters are prime examples of those who value the impact they make more than what they take home in their paycheck.

With every profession, there are standards to uphold and rules to follow. Medical Interpreting is no exception. The Medical Interpreting field has a solid foundation, based on a Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. But, apart from the standards and rules, there is the human side to our profession. As Interpreters, we have fought to have steady work with a liveable wage. However, it is not the quantity of work or the hourly wage, but rather, the quality of our work that matters most. We have even come together to fight for additional legislation that promises better language access, for those whose primary language is not English. Yes, we are professionals. But, we are human first.

How Becoming A Certified Medical Interpreter Changed My Life For The Better

For many people, figuring out what career path to choose in life is very difficult. Fortunately, at a very young age, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. It wasn’t until I began formally studying Spanish at the age of 12, that I decided to  become a Spanish teacher. My initial love  for the Spanish language; however, began when I was a toddler watching Sesame Street; learning numbers, colors, the alphabet, and simple phrases. My pre-school teacher even gifted me my first Spanish dictionary on moving up day to kinder-garden.

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.