The International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) is the only trade association representing medical interpreters in the US and abroad, with over 2,000 members. In addition to developing the first Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for the profession, it also established the first national annual conference on medical interpreting and the first National CEU Program specifically for medical interpreters. The IMIA has been working on developing a certification program for medical interpreters since its inception in 1986. It made a decision in early 2009 to create a separate organization solely charged to oversee national certification. The IMIA is proud of founding an independent non profit 501c3 organization, named National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters, (National Board, also known as NBCMI) which launched the first National Certification Program for medical interpreters, also referred to as health care interpreters, on October 10, 2009. It has just published a Statement on National Certification to increase awareness of this initiative to all stakeholders.

IMIA Statement on National Certification

Dr. Koh, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. Graham, Deputy Director of OMH, acknowledges IMIA work in the launching of the first National Certification for Medical Interpreters program. To learn more about the National Program or to get certified, go to www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org Joint Commission also recognizes the National Board's certification as the first of possibly many certifications for the medical interpreter profession, as they do for all health care professions. They do not endorse any program as any regulatory body should. To see this letter click here.

Send the message to Congress that credentialed medical interpreters are the best mechanism to ensure accurate and safe communication between providers and language minority patients, and that this service needs to be reimbursed. Please help support our latest efforts by faxing the support letter at http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/480_5.doc to Congress today. Also, please see the letter that IMIA and LLS sent to our US President. He has heard our message! http://www.imiaweb.org/uploads/pages/480_4.pdf

Participate in an important survey, the fifth Annual National Salary Survey for the medical interpreting profession sponsored by the IMIA. The data we gather will be used to benchmark current compensation trends and create an industry standard tool to document the working conditions of medical interpreters. If you manage or interpret in the medical setting, then please answer this survey. We know your time is valuable and appreciate your feedback. Please click on the link below to begin the survey, which will take 2-10 minutes depending on the number of sections you answer. Simply copy and paste the entire address listed below into your web browser:
http://guest.cvent.com/v.aspx?1A%2cQ3%2ce4e04b3c-f72a-454c-94c2-d7bf6dd01579

Please help us spread the word by posting training notices on the national interpreter training directory at http://www.imiaweb.org/education/trainingnotices.asp. Viewers can they search for interpreter educational programs by language, category or state. To post a training go to http://www.imiaweb.org/education/training-form.asp

Search the directory by name, language, state or country: The IMIA is proud to have the only national registry of medical interpreters in the US. It includes over 1,900 interpreters in over 100 languages, and each profile includes  training, general education, work experience, references, and even their resume, if they wish to upload it. Searc

Reach over 1,900 members when you post an event! All organizations are encouraged to upload their own event on the IMIA Interpreter Events Calendar! This helps members stay informed of all the events related to interpreting and translation. Count on the IMIA Calendar to have the most updated interpreter event information at http://www.imiaweb.org/events/default.asp

Twenty nations of primary workplace were reported by respondents from across the globe: from Japan to Iceland, from Haiti to Angola; we are part of an increasingly internationalized field.  To view results, please visit the About Survey page:  http://www.imiaweb.org/about/salarysurvey2008.asp