Dear CCHI Community and Friends:

As we close this calendar year, we recognize the profound challenges that have shaped our world – political divides, economic uncertainties, and societal fears. Yet, through it all, you have stood resilient in your respective communities as beacons of hope, compassion, and justice.

Your work as healthcare interpreters is nothing short of heroic. Daily, you are the bridge that connects patients to life-saving care, the voice that brings clarity in moments of confusion, and the advocate for those who might otherwise be silenced. In times of uncertainty, your roles as language access champions and health equity catalysts have never been more vital.

This year may have tested your resolve, but it also showcased your strength. Every encounter you facilitated, every barrier you broke down, and every life you touched is a testament to your power. You are more than interpreters – you are agents of system transformation and guardians of dignity in healthcare.

As we move into a new calendar year, remember:

• You are needed now more than ever. Your work ensures that language access in healthcare remains a right for all, not just a privilege for some.
• You are part of something greater. In communities worldwide, healthcare interpreters are laying foundations for a future rooted in compassion, understanding, and equity.
• You have the strength to persevere. Today’s uncertainties will not last forever, but the legacy of your work will.

Take pride in your contributions, and let them strengthen your resolve. Celebrate your victories, big and small, and find moments of joy in the difference you make daily. As you care for others, remember to care for yourself, and to let others care for you. Rest, recharge, and reflect regularly on the extraordinary work you do.

Speaking of extraordinary, 2024 has been a momentous and historic year for CCHI. Some of its highlights included:

• The year-long celebration of the 15th anniversary of CCHI’s incorporation as a 501(c)6 nonprofit and its public debut as a national certifying body offering a valid, credible, and vendor-neutral certification program for healthcare interpreters in the United States.
• The 2nd National Healthcare Interpreter Certification Summit (April), themed “Setting the Course for the Next 15”. Click here for our Summit video playlist.
• The inaugural cycle of the EtoE scholarship (Spring), supporting interpreters in taking their CoreCHI certification to the next level with the performance-based CoreCHI-P credential, the most inclusive healthcare interpreter certification to date!
• The launch of the #EquityStartsLocally pledge campaign (July), challenging healthcare leaders, language companies, interpreter associations, and other stakeholder groups to strengthen language access infrastructure in the communities to which they provide service and invest in building community capacity for language justice.
• The “Practiquemos y Crezcamos Microconferencia” (September), a day of virtual learning for Spanish healthcare interpreters which offered a unique combination of expert perspectives from top leaders in the field and interactive skill-building sessions. Save the date for our next virtual learning event, “The Power of Practice” (2/22/25), open to interpreters of all languages!
• The convening of an Advisory Council (November) to develop the Global Workforce Survey of Healthcare Interpreters, the first of its kind designed to gather comprehensive data about healthcare interpreters’ qualifications, working conditions, and compensation. The survey will reach a wide audience, including freelance and staff interpreters, remote and onsite interpreters, sign and spoken language interpreters, as well as interpreters working both within the U.S. and internationally. The Commissioners see this as a unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful change by fostering greater transparency within our profession. Stay connected with the CCHI Community on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram or subscribe to the CCHI News Digest for announcements about the survey launch!

As we conclude our 15th anniversary year, we also celebrate a groundbreaking achievement  – the CoreCHI-P™ certification has been accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)! 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. The CoreCHI-P™ credential stands out as the only accredited monolingual performance certification for interpreters of all languages! This 7-year journey from concept to validation is a major step forward for healthcare interpreting and health equity. We extend heartfelt gratitude to the interpreters who participated in the trailblazing EtoE Study, 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 expertise and tireless dedication guided the application process to success!

Accreditation is not just about meeting standards; it’s about setting them. We look forward to many more milestones! You can help CCHI now by making a monetary gift to advance national certification. Thank you for being a part of the progressive and pioneering community that moves our mission forward.

The road ahead may not always be smooth, but you are not alone. You have a community of professionals who share your calling and stand with you in solidarity. Together, we will continue to create in our respective communities everywhere an environment where every person’s voice is heard, and every life is valued.

Thank you for your courage, dedication, and heart. Keep going – you are making a difference that will carry far beyond this moment.

Warmly, and with deep gratitude,

Vonessa Costa, CCHI Chair

December 15, 2024

Washington, DC

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN)

We are excited to announce the five recipients of the Fall 2024 cycle of the ETOE™ Exam Scholarship! This scholarship supports interpreters who wish to take their CoreCHI certification to the next level with the performance-based CoreCHI-P™ credential. This scholarship cycle is sponsored by HCIN (https://www.hcin.org/).

The Health Care Interpreter Network (HCIN) is a mission‑driven, non-profit membership organization comprising dozens of hospitals and health systems nationwide. Their members share a commitment to eliminating barriers to care for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and those who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and to elevating the profession of healthcare interpreting. HCIN connects hospital-based interpreter programs in a ‘co-op’ sharing model. This model allows organizations to access highly qualified hospital-based medical interpreters from participating entities, at a relatively low cost. It also provides hospital language access programs with the means to maximize staff efficiencies and control cost and quality of interpreter services. Additionally, HCIN operates an  online continuing education platform for professional interpreters HCIN Learn at https://www.hcinlearn.org/.

The Fall 2024 recipients of the ETOE™ Scholarship, sponsored by HCIN, are:

1. Juliana Barbosa Flores (Portuguese, NC)
2. Olga Chamberlain (Russian, FL)
3. Maria LeVering (Russian, UT)
4. Yasaman Pourkhorsand (Farsi, CA)
5. Blia Yang (Hmong, MN)

CCHI and HCIN celebrate these interpreters’ accomplishments as well as their commitment to professional success. They have much to be proud of, and we wish them the best of luck on their testing and certification journey.

CCHI Commissioners and Staff
Health Care Interpreter Network

July 15, 2024

Washington, DC

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)

We are delighted to announce the five recipients of the inagugural (Spring 2024) cycle of the ETOE™ Scholarship! This scholarship supports interpreters who wish to take their CoreCHI certification to the next level with the performance-based CoreCHI-P credential. This scholarship cycle is sponsored by the Commissioners of CCHI.

The Spring 2024 recipients of the ETOE™ Scholarship are:

1. Amudu Bahati Jean Pierre Salongo (Kinyarwanda, NY)
2. Chudan Li (Cantonese, CA)
3. Jacob Hogan (ASL, OR)
4. Jay Prasad (Nepali, TX)
5. Valentina Torres (Mixteco, CA)

CCHI celebrates these awardees’ accomplishments as well as their commitment to professional success. They have much to be proud of, and we wish them the best of luck on their testing and certification journey.

CCHI Commissioners and Staff

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters is opening nominations for three Commission positions for the three-year term beginning in October 2023:

• Commissioner – 2 vacancies
• Commissioner, Public Member – 1 vacancy

Nominees for Commissioner must represent a stakeholder group of the healthcare interpreting profession, healthcare interpreting industry, or field of language access to health care. Before nominating, please review the expectations of the CCHI Commissioner (keep in mind that Commissioner meetings are still virtual at this time) and the criteria for selecting Commissioners. Also, please read the CCHI Policies for Commissioners at http://cchicertification.org/uploads/CCHI_Policies_for_Commissioners.pdf.

Nominations for Public Member must adhere to NCCA Standards, which are as follows: The public or consumer member preferably should be a consumer or potential consumer of the certificants’ skills or services. This individual may be a member of a community of patients with LEP or have experience in the field of advocacy for language access for patients with LEP. The individual who is a public member may NOT be any of the following:

• A current or previous member of the profession, occupation, role, or specialty area encompassed by the certification program;
• A supervisor, manager, direct co-worker, or an employee or subordinate of individuals in the profession encompassed by the certification program;
• An employee of an individual certified by the certification program or of an employer of individuals in the profession encompassed by the certification program;
• A person who currently receives or within the last five years has received income from the profession encompassed by the certification program.

You may nominate yourself or someone else. If you nominate someone, prior to submission of the nomination, that individual must agree to the nomination and to serve for a term of three (3) years.

Nominations must be submitted on the Nomination Form (click to download as a PDF file OR as a MS Word file) as an attachment via email with the subject “CCHI Commissioner nomination” by 8:00 p.m. EDT on August 9, 2023 to: solutions@cchicertification.org. 

July 15, 2023

Washington, DC
Chicago, IL

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI)
Americans Against Language Barriers (AALB)

We are delighted to announce the three recipients of the Spring 2023 cycle of the “Discover Healthcare Interpreting” CoreCHI™ Scholarship. This scholarship supports certification of interpreters of languages for which CHI™ certification is not currently available. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Americans Against Language Barriers and Kevin Thakkar, personally, for the contribution to our Spring 2023 scholarship.

Americans Against Language Barriers (AALB) is an Illinois-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization aiming to improve the health of patients with limited English proficiency. They do this by training professional medical interpreters, providing interpreter services to healthcare organizations, and lobbying for policy reform. They envision a future where language services are seamlessly and freely available across the healthcare system.

The Spring 2023 recipients of the “Discover Healthcare Interpreting” CoreCHI™ Scholarship, sponsored by Americans Against Language Barriers, are:

1. Abigail Santos Terrazzino (Tagalog, TN)
2. Hayat Ullah Noory (Dari, GA)
3. Carroll Phillips (French, MD)

CCHI and AALB commend the achievements of the scholarship winners as well as their commitment to professional success. We wish them the best of luck on their testing and certification journey.

CCHI Commissioners and Staff
Americans Against Language Barriers