Test Development for National Medical Interpreter Certification Advances, Oral Exam Pilot Concludes and Written Exam Pilot Commences

Test Development for National Medical Interpreter Certification Advances, Oral
Exam Pilot Concludes and Written Exam Pilot Commences

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Board of Certification for
Medical Interpreters continues to advance towards the launch of a single
national certification process that will award individuals the credential of
"Certified Medical Interpreter" (CMI) in a specific language. It recently
concluded the pilot of the National Board oral exam and commenced the pilot of
the National Board written exam with an open call to the field for
participants.

"The National Board is taking every measure to ensure that the written and
oral exams accurately assess an interpreter's knowledge and skills," said
Louis Provenzano, President and COO of Language Line Services. "This pilot
phase is critical for ensuring the reliability and validity of the test
instruments with complete inclusion of input and participation from the field
itself."

The National Board oral exam pilot, designed to verify the ability of
interpreters to apply their knowledge and skills in real-life medical
interpreting scenarios, was completed by Language Line(R) University at the
end of August with a total of 300 testing participants who applied following
an "open call" from across the United States. In keeping with the Board's
pledge to develop a national certification "by interpreters, for
interpreters," the pilot followed a national job analysis survey earlier this
year in which over 1,500 interpreters participated, as well as focus groups,
subject matter expert reviews, and ongoing input from the field itself.

"The test assesses the skills and vocabulary of medical interpreting and
covers the different areas that an interpreter encounters on a daily basis,"
said Patricia Chavez-Dietz, a Spanish interpreter, cross-cultural communicator
and member of Medical Interpreter Network of Georgia. "As such, it is a good
test that only an individual trained as an interpreter, not just someone who
is bilingual, would perform well on."

Robert Roos, with the Department of Modern Languages at the University of
Nebraska Kearney, stated that "while the need for testing of medical
interpreters has been evident for a long time, the task of doing it correctly
was monumental. The oral exam reflects the hard work, the depth of
consideration and input, and the professionalism that went into its
development."

"Although it was difficult for my students who took it, it helped them to
realize the areas in which they need to improve to meet the standard for
professional medical interpreting," added Roos. "It is at a level that is both
realistic and necessary to assess medical interpreters anywhere, in any
setting. And it is has motivated them to study and prepare themselves to pass
the actual exam when it becomes available."

The pilot data from the oral exam has been submitted to PSI Services, LLC, an
industry-leading provider of professional testing services, for test validity
and reliability analysis. The results report from PSI will be used to make
final adjustments to the assessment tool's design. Once complete, the oral
exam will be adapted into other languages in preparation for its national
implementation.

"The pilot testing phase has been a very collaborative process, as we've
benefited from the participation and support of many healthcare organizations,
medical interpreting service providers, training institutions, and medical
interpreter associations," said John Weiner, Chief Science Officer with PSI
Services (http://corporate.psionline.com/).

"Now that the subject matter expert review and rating of test items have been
finalized, it is important that we proceed with the final pilot phase of the
written exam," said Dr. Nelva Lee, Interpreter Trainer, The Medical
Interpreting and Translating Institute Online (MiTio) President, and National
Board member.

Individuals are invited to apply to participate in the National Board written
exam pilot, which was launched this month with a call for participants.
Practicing medical interpreters may sign up to take the written exam pilot
here at http://www.imiaweb.org/certification/PilotApplication.asp. There is a
$75 fee to cover the proctoring for the pilot that will be discounted when a
candidate takes the final National Board exam.

According to Izabel Arocha, President of the International Medical
Interpreters Association, pilot participants will enable testing experts to
assess each examination item for construct validity, relevance, and
reliability. This is an important final step for moving the process of
national certification forward and protecting the interest of all stakeholders
who are likely to be impacted by certification on an ongoing basis.

"We would like to finalize the written pilot phase soon, so we can keep up
with our promise to have the exams ready for the public in 2009," said Arocha.

About the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters will be a
non-profit organization, formed from an independent group of industry
professionals that represent all key stakeholder groups, including
professional medical interpreters, trainers, employers and regulators. The
National Board will serve as the certifying entity and will be given
independent authority over all essential certification decisions. It will not
be responsible for accreditation of educational or training programs or
courses of study leading to the certification. The formation and structure of
the National Board of Certification will adhere to the standards and
requirements for certification program governance mandated by the National
Organization for Competency Assurance. For more information, please go to
http://www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org.

Media Contact:

Shawn Yanan/shawn.yanan@rbbpr.com/305-962-1768

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit
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SOURCE Language Line Services

Shawn Yanan for Language Line Services, +1-305-962-1768,
shawn.yanan@rbbpr.com