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Archive for the ‘Certification Matters’ Category

CCHI’s support for certificants and candidates affected by current and recent disasters

CCHI Commissioners and staff believe in supporting our certificants, candidates, and the interpreting profession as a cornerstone of our mission. We deeply care for those whose lives, families, and livelihoods have been impacted by recent and ongoing disasters. We understand the overwhelming challenges of rebuilding after such devastation and are here to help ease some of the burden.

To support our community, CCHI is committing $10,000 to assist certificants, affected by the natural disasters, with their renewal fees. This initiative reflects our unwavering dedication to standing with interpreters during times of need, ensuring they can continue their vital work of bridging communication and fostering understanding in every corner of society.

CCHI Commissioners offer the following support to the certificants residing in the areas affected by the wildfires in Southern California as well as those still recovering from the hurricanes in the Southeastern United States:

  1. The certification renewal deadline for the current four-year cycle*  is extended until September 1, 2025.
  2. All certificants in affected areas are eligible to receive a $50 discount towards their certification renewal fee. Please contact us at apply@cchicertification.org to request a disaster relief discount.

* For Southern California certificants affected by the fires: the extension and discount are applied if the renewal deadline is between January 1 – June 31, 2025. For certificants affected by the fall 2024 hurricanes in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina: if the renewal deadline is between September 25, 2024 – July 31, 2025.

CCHI Commissioners offer a 6-month extension to candidates residing in the areas affected by the wildfires and recent hurricanes for scheduling their exams.

Please contact us at info@cchicertification.org with questions (please use “Disaster Relief” in the subject line).

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters of any language to volunteer to create new questions for the CoreCHI exam

We are calling for volunteers to participate in creating new questions for the CoreCHI™ exam! Please fill out the application below and submit it by January 20, 2025. We are looking to convene 2 groups of volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) – (1) Item Writers and (2) Item Reviewers. Group 1 will work from January 30 through February 25, and Group 2 will work from February 12 through April 10.

CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Please apply only if you are available on the specified days for live Zoom meetings.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, CCHI-certified interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™, CoreCHI-P™, or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • have various years of experience – from 1 to 10+
  • work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
  • represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
  • may also be managers (but still practicing interpreters)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses).

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • Live participation in two-hour meetings on the dates specified below and several hours of independent work
  1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between January 30 – February 8,which would require approximately 2-4 hours of time.
  2. Be available for live Zoom video conference meetings, of 2-hour duration each, at 8-10 pm Eastern Time on these dates:

Group 1 – Item Writers – one live meeting on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (and writing 20 questions between Jan 30 and Feb 25)

Group 2 – Item Reviewers – six (6) live meetings on these Wednesdays:
February 26
March 5, 12, 19, 26
April 2

  1. Be available for independent remote assignments between the meetings.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 4 general CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $100 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format and here to download it as a fillable pdf file (you’ll have to create a separate file for the essay and bio).

Please fill it out completely (choose the CoreCHI exam and indicate if you wish to be an item writer or item reviewer), and to submit, email the application (including 2 references) AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 01/20/2025. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by January 24, 2025.

Thank you for your interest and support!

CoreCHI-Performance™ Certification is Accredited by NCCA!

We’re overjoyed to announce that the CoreCHI-Performance™ (CoreCHI-P™) certification has been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) for five years! This prestigious recognition affirms that the CoreCHI-P credential meets the rigorous NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs, reflecting modern standards of practice for the certification industry.

NCCA, the accrediting body of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, has upheld these standards since 1977 and most recently updated them in 2021. CCHI now joins an elite group of 130+ organizations and 310+ programs accredited by the NCCA, representing excellence across a range of diverse allied health professions, from nurses to EMTs to counselors and beyond. CCHI is the only organization certifying interpreters that has its certification programs accredited by NCCA: CoreCHI, CoreCHI-Performance, and CHI-Spanish!

The CoreCHI-P™ credential stands out as the ONLY accredited performance certification for interpreters of ANY language! This 7-year journey from concept to validation is a groundbreaking achievement and a major step forward for healthcare interpreting and health equity.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to:

  • The interpreters who participated in the trailblazing EtoE Study and the study sponsors,
  • The subject matter experts (SMEs) who developed the EtoE exam,
  • Our past and current Commissioners for their vision and steadfast support,
  • All of our certificants whose trust and commitment fuel our mission, and
  • Our Executive Director Natalya Mytareva, whose tireless dedication and expertise guided the exam development and accreditation application process to success!

This recognition is not just about meeting standards; it’s about setting them. Here’s to many more milestones to come!

P.S. You can read more about what accreditation means to us here.

Celebrating our 15th Anniversary with a 15% discount on performance exams!

We’re celebrating CCHI’s 15th Anniversary with a 15% discount* on our performance exams!

CHI™ or ETOE™ Exam Fee of $257 (time-limited offer):

  • Candidates must pay the CHI™ or ETOE™ exam fee between May 15 and July 15, 2024 (by 11:59 pm EDT).
  • Candidates must take the corresponding exam in 2024. Because both exams are administered in specific testing windows, the following limitations apply:
    • The ETOE exam must be taken either between June 6-29 or September 5-28, 2024.
    • The CHI exam must be taken either between July 12-August 10 or October 10 – November 9.

If the ETOE or CHI exam is not taken in 2024, the discount expires, and candidates must pay the balance of $45 before they can schedule an exam in 2025 (if they still qualify at that time).

  • Candidates must be qualified to sit for the ETOE™ or CHI™ exam:
    • For the ETOE exam fee discount, candidates must hold a non-expired CoreCHI™ certification at the time of payment.
    • For the CHI fee discount, candidates (interpreters of Arabic, Mandarin, or Spanish) must have a valid passing CoreCHI™ exam score, i.e., their eligibility for the Summer or Fall testing windows of 2024 must be non-expired. The CoreCHI exam score is valid for 12 months.
  • The offer does not apply retroactively.
  • This fee is for one exam administration only.
  • The fee is valid only for the first or second attempt to take either a CHI™ or ETOE™ exam. I.e., candidates who failed either exam more than one time do not qualify for this discount.
  • CCHI’s Refund Policy applies to this discounted fees.

CCHI reserves the right to discontinue this offer at any time and without any prior notice.

* This discount does not apply to candidates who qualify for the #addCCHI discount.

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters to volunteer for the CHI-Mandarin test development

We are calling for volunteers (CCHI-certified interpreters) to participate in the CHI™-Mandarin test development in March-May 2024.

The work will take place in March-May 2024 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below and submit it by February 15, 2024.

CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CHI™-Mandarin interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have the CHI™-Mandarin certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • represent different regional varieties of Mandarin Chinese
  • may also be managers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)

If you already submitted an SME application in 2023, please email us at solutions@cchicertification.org and tell us that you are interested in this project. We may waive the requirement to submit an application again.

 

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • Live participation in 8 two-hour meetings and several hours of independent work

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between February 27-March 8, which would require approximately 2-4 hours of time.

2. Be available for the 8 (eight) Zoom video conference meetings, of 2-hour duration each, on Saturday mornings (10:30 am – 12:30 pm ET) on these dates:

March 9, 16, 23
April 13, 20, 27
May 11, 18

3. Be available for independent remote assignments between the meetings.

Please apply only if you are available on the specified days.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 6 PB (performance-based) CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (mark the Position as CHI™ test development), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume to solutions@cchicertification.org by 02/15/2024. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified as to whether you have been selected to participate in this project by February 20, 2024.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Update to CCHI’s Eligibility Requirement of Language Proficiency in the Language Other Than English (LOTE)

The Commissioners have updated CCHI’s eligibility requirement related to language proficiency in the Language Other Than English (LOTE) based on the results of the national survey “Language Proficiency for Interpreters (LPI)” conducted by CCHI in the fall of 2022. The changes take effect on November 15, 2023, i.e., all applicants whose applications have not been accepted by November 15, must comply with the new requirements. There are no changes to the requirements related to language proficiency in English.

The essence of the language proficiency eligibility requirement has not changed, i.e., all applicants must demonstrate that they are proficient in a LOTE. However, the Commissioners have more clearly defined the scope of accepted documentation verifying language proficiency in the LOTE, based on the national survey results.  CCHI plans to conduct surveys on LPI regularly and update its eligibility requirements as needed.

In brief, the updates relate to the following:

  • Applicants for the bilingual CHI™ credentials have different requirements compared to applicants for the CoreCHI™ and CoreCHI-Performance™
  • All languages are divided into three tiers which define the type of language proficiency documentation applicants need to submit. See more information about the Language Tiers at https://cchicertification.org/language-tiers/.
  • CCHI has established an initial list of language proficiency (LP) testing vendors (see at https://cchicertification.org/language-proficiency-testing/). CCHI is in the process of convening an Advisory Panel that will develop an evaluation process for LP tests and help create a national Registry of Accredited Language Proficiency Tests. Until this Registry is established, CCHI Commissioners approve LP testing vendors at their discretion, applying CCHI’s evaluation criteria.
  • The minimum accepted levels of language proficiency in LOTE are Advanced-Mid on the ACTFL scale and 2+ on the ILR scale (or an equivalent to these levels established for other tests).
  • Applicants who are ASL interpreters have different requirements for the CoreCHI™ and CoreCHI-Performance™ credentials respectively.

Please read the full requirements at https://cchicertification.org/certifications/eligibility/linguistic-proficiency/. The Candidate’s Examination Handbook will be updated shortly.

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters to volunteer for the CoreCHI test development

We are calling for volunteers (CCHI-certified interpreters) to participate in the CoreCHI™ test development in November-December 2023.

The work will take place in November-December 2023 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below and submit it by September 25, 2023.

CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, CCHI-certified interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have the CoreCHI™, CoreCHI-Performance™, or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • represent different languages or regional varieties of their Language Other Than English (LOTE)
  • may also be managers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)

If you already submitted an SME application in 2022-23, please email us at solutions@cchicertification.org and tell us that you are interested in this project. We may waive the requirement to submit an application again.

 

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • Live participation in 6 two-hour meetings and several hours of independent work

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between Oct 17 – 30, which would require approximately 4 hours of time.

2. Be available for the 6 (six) Zoom video conference meetings, of 2-hour duration each, on Wednesday evenings (8 – 10 pm ET) on these dates:

November 1, 8, 15, 29
December 6, 13

3. Be available for independent remote assignments between the meetings.

Please apply only if you are available on the specified days.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 6 PB (performance-based) CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (mark the Position as CHI™ test development), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume to solutions@cchicertification.org by 9/25/23. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified as to whether you have been selected to participate in this project by October 10, 2023.

Thank you for your interest and support!

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters to volunteer for the CHI-Arabic test development

We are calling for volunteers (CCHI-certified interpreters) to participate in the CHI™-Arabic test development in August-November 2023.

The work will take place in August-November 2023 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below and submit it by August 14, 2023.

CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, certified CHI™-Arabic interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in the U.S. in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have the CHI™-Arabic certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • represent different regional varieties of Arabic
  • may also be managers (with previous practicing interpreter experience)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)

If you already submitted an SME application in 2022-23, please email us at solutions@cchicertification.org and tell us that you are interested in this prject. We may waive the requirement to submit an application again.

 

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • Live participation in 8 two-hour meetings and several hours of independent work

1. Be able to complete a self-paced online orientation module between Aug 25 – Sep 8, which would require approximately 2-4 hours of time.

2. Be available for the 8 (eight) Zoom video conference meetings, of 2-hour duration each, on Saturday mornings (10:30 am – 12:30 pm ET) on these dates:

September 9, 16, 23, 30
October 7, 14
November 4, 11

3. Be available for independent remote assignments between the meetings.

Please apply only if you are available on the specified days.

This is a volunteer project. CCHI will not pay any honorarium for participation in this project. However, CCHI will grant 6 PB (performance-based) CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours for participation, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (mark the Position as CHI™ test development), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume to solutions@cchicertification.org by 08/14/23. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified as to whether you have been selected to participate in this project by August 24, 2023.

Thank you for your interest and support!

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters to volunteer for the CoreCHI Exam Standard Setting Project

We are calling for volunteers to participate in the CoreCHI™ exam Standard Setting project. Under the guidance of CCHI’s testing vendor, the panel validate the new content of the CoreCHI™ certification exam, developed based on the 2022 JTA Report, by performing a standard setting. The work will take place between May 23-June 9, 2023 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below and submit it by May 16, 2023.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely May 23 through June 8, 2023. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, CoreCHI™ and CHI™ certified interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • have various years of experience – from 0 to 10+
  • work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
  • represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
  • may also be managers (but are still practicing interpreters)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • 9.5 hours of live participation over 3 meetings and 6 hours of independent work:

1. Be available for the 3 (three) Zoom video conference meetings on

  • May 31, 2023 (Wednesday) at 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET/ 7 – 8:30 pm CT/ 5 – 6:30 pm PT
  • June 4 (Sunday) at 11 am – 3 pm ET/ 10 am – 2 pm CT/ 8 am – 12 pm PT
  • June 7 (Wednesday) at 4:30 – 8:30 pm ET/ 3:30 – 7:30 pm CT/ 1:30 – 5:30 pm PT

2. Be able to complete a self-paced online assignments:

  • between May 23-30, 2023, approximately 3 hours
  • on June 5-6, 2023, approx. 3 hours

3. Complete project tasks on a laptop or desktop (PC preferred) accessing our virtual platforms via Chrome browser. (Phones or tablets will not work for this project.)

Please apply only if you are available during the above times for all 3 of the live Zoom meeting dates (i.e., 9.5 hours of total time).

This is a volunteer project. However, in appreciation of your time and expertise, CCHI will grant 4 CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (including the references), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 05/16/23. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by May 20, 2023.

Thank you for your interest and support!

CCHI is looking for certified interpreters to volunteer for the ETOE Exam Standard Setting Project

We are calling for volunteers to participate in the ETOE™ exam Standard Setting study. Under the guidance of CCHI’s testing vendor, the panel validate the ETOE™ certification exam by performing a standard setting. The work will take place between April 22-May 18 via Zoom (see details below). Please fill out the application linked below (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “ETOE”) and submit it by April 18, 2023.

We are looking for volunteer Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) who will work remotely April 22 through May 18, 2023. CCHI will provide all the necessary orientation and training via online collaboration tools. All tasks will also be performed remotely via video conference calls and other online applications. Please read about the commitment below so that you understand the scope of work.

Who should apply?

Our goal is to convene a diverse panel of SMEs, mostly CoreCHI™ and some CHI™ certified interpreters, who represent healthcare interpreters in a comprehensive manner. We are looking for volunteers – practicing interpreters who have CoreCHI™ or CHI™ certification (this requirement is mandatory) – who:

  • have various years of experience – from 0 to 10+
  • work in different modalities and different healthcare settings
  • represent different regional varieties of their LOTE (Language Other Than English)
  • may also be managers (but are still practicing interpreters)
  • are not trainers of introductory interpreter courses (but may be trainers of continuing education courses)
  • AND who did not take the ETOE™ exam in the March-April testing window

What are your commitments (if selected)?

  • Sign CCHI’s Confidentiality and Content Security Agreements. (Review our SME Participation Policies prior to applying.)
  • 12 hours of live participation over 3 meetings and 7 hours of independent work:

1. Be available for the 3 (three) Zoom video conference meetings, of 4-hour duration each, on

  • May 6, 2023 (Saturday) at 10:30 am – 2:30 pm ET/ 9:30 am – 1:30 pm CT/ 7:30 – 11:30 am PT
  • May 11, 2023 (Thursday) at 4:30 – 8:30 pm ET/ 3:30 – 7:30 pm CT/ 1:30 – 5:30 pm PT
  • May 18, 2023 (Thursday) at 4:30 – 8:30 pm ET/ 3:30 – 7:30 pm CT/ 1:30 – 5:30 pm PT

2. Be able to complete a self-paced online assignments:

  • between April 22-May 1, 2023, approximately 3 hours
  • between May 3-5, 2023, approx. 2 hours
  • between May 12-14, approx. 2 hours

3. Complete project tasks on a laptop or desktop (PC preferred) accessing our virtual platforms via Chrome browser. (Phones or tablets will not work for this project.)

Please apply only if you are available during the above times for all 3 of the live Zoom meeting dates (i.e., 12 hours of total time).

This is a volunteer project. However, in appreciation of your time and expertise, CCHI will grant 4 PB CE instructional and 2 CE non-instructional hours, and issue a voucher of $150 value that can be applied towards the certification renewal fee.

How to apply?

Click here to download CCHI’s SME Application in MS Word format.

Please fill it out completely (for the Position, check “Other” and enter “ETOE”), and to submit, email the application AND your current full resume, to solutions@cchicertification.org by 04/18/23. Only electronically submitted, complete applications will be considered.

If you have any questions about this project or about the SME application, contact us at solutions@cchicertification.org.

You will be notified if you are selected to participate in this project by April 20, 2023.

Thank you for your interest and support!

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