Report From the 4th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum

by NITA Administrator ~ May 8, 2010

IMIA - the International Medical Interpreters Association

The following is a report by NITA’s Director Alvaro Vergara-Mery, who is also National Director for the National Board for Certification of Medical Interpreters, as well as the Nevada state representative for the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) who attended the 4th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum, held on April 30th and May 1st this year, in Washington, DC. For more information about the 2010 Fourth May 1 Forum, please visit the IMIA website:

We went to DC to advocate for Medical Interpreters, for recognition and to send a clear 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. It was wonderful. Most members of congress were not even aware of medical interpreters. The fact that medical interpreters certification is already in place and validated is also a significant step forward in our career.

(For more information on the National Medical Interpreter Certification Exams, please see the NBCMI’s announcement.)

It will still take years of education of the public, so that our career finds the recognition it deserves.

Although I am one of the national director for the National Board for Certification of Medical Interpreters, the Nevada State Rep for the IMIA (International Medical Interpreters Association) I also proudly represented NITA in this historic event.

This was the 4th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum and was sponsored by Language Line Services, the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA) and PSI Services, the Medical Interpreter Network of Georgia (MING), the Nebraska Association of Translators and Interpreters (NATI), Cardinal Point, AHEC, Cardinal Point, Burg Translation along with many other interpreters that came forward to co-sponsor the event and participate.

~ Alvaro Vergara-Mery