Medical Interpreter Forum to Address Language Access

Leaders, advocates and stakeholders in the medical interpretation industry will travel across the globe to convene on Saturday, April 30, in Los Angeles, CA, for the 5th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum. The event is free and open to the public.
Guest speakers and discussions will address the advancement of national certification, best practices in the profession, and perspectives from industry leaders. Attendees will share advocacy updates, status of educational programs, and new opportunities for involvement in shaping the future of medical interpreting.
“A faulty medical interpretation can mean life or death as patients in the United States with limited English proficiency [LEP] continue to face language barriers that threaten their health and undermine their well-being,” said Izabel Arocha, executive director of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA). “This forum spotlights the importance and need for all health care institutions to adopt national certification standards and provides an open setting for medical professionals to take an active role in the discussion about what still needs to be done.”
In December Oregon became the first state to endorse the Certified for Medical Interpreters (CMI) credential through the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. This national interpreting standard provides professional interpreters working in the medical field with the opportunity to be tested and credentialed as certified interpreters.
Keynote speaker Louis Provenzano, Jr., president and CEO of Language Line Services, based in Monterey, CA, launched the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum in 2007 when his organization invited leaders in the field of medical interpreting to join forces and work toward national certification. More than a hundred stakeholders are expected to attend the event this year.
“Language Line Services, IMIA, and other key partners and lobbyists are working hard to elevate national certification from an issue discussed only within the medical interpretation industry to an initiative at the top of the national agenda,” Provenzano said. “Even as the Joint Commission tightens its language compliance requirements for hospitals to improve patient-provider communication and ensure patient safety, language is still a great divide in the world’s most successful melting pot.”
The annual event creates an inclusive, transparent and collaborative process that crosses state lines and industry sectors. It brings together representatives of various state and national interpreter associations, interpreters and interpretation service providers, advocates and policy-makers, state officials, educators, trainers, hospitals and health care organizations, as well as international stakeholders.
Among the guest speakers this year are Rose Long, deputy director of the Cross Cultural Health Care Program; Tim Moriarty, manager of the Interpreter & Translation Services Department at Baystate Health and a member of the Diversity Council; and Henry Liu, a council member of the International Federation of Translators and immediate past president of the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters. The event will be followed on Sunday, May 1, by meetings of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and the Global Advisory Council.
The event is organized by Language Line® University, International Medical Interpreters Association, PSI Testing & Credentialing, Cardinal Point-Government Relations, Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters, AHEC Connecticut, Nevada Interpreters & Translators Association, Burg Translation, Language People, Tennessee Association of Medical Interpreters and Translators, and the Epilepsy Foundation.
There is no registration fee to attend the annual forum, but space is limited. Online registration is now open at www.imiaweb.org/conferences/May1mainpage.asp.