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We know getting certified or renewing your certification can seem complicated. If you have questions, first use the all-inclusive FAQ section on this page to find the answer. Just type some keywords or your question in the search bar below. Otherwise, we have five main customer service divisions; please state your question(s) clearly and contact us via the respective email:

General questions – info@cchicertification.org

Initial application and CCHI account – apply@cchicertification.org

Scheduling and testing – info@cchicertification.org

Certification renewal – renewal@cchicertification.org

Advertising and CEAP (Continuing Education Accreditation Program) – admin@cchicertification.org

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I take the CCHI certification exams outside the United States?

    As the CoreCHI exam can be taken online, eligible interpreters may obtain CoreCHI certification from outside the United States.

    However, the oral exams (CHI-Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin, as well as ETOE) are administered exclusively at Prometric testing centers within the United States. Therefore, if you wish to obtain CHI or CoreCHI-P certification, you must be able to take your oral exam in the United States.

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  • Is the ETOE™ exam replacing the CHI™ oral certification exams or future language-specific exams?

    No! CCHI recognizes that the most effective and direct way to evaluate interpreting skills is through a bilingual oral performance exam like the CHI exams, which test all interpreting modes. However, creating and maintaining such exams is very resource-intensive, as it requires a certain number of pilot test takers, subject matter experts, and qualified raters of a specific language to be continuously available. For many languages, this is currently unfeasible. That’s why CCHI explored how the same skills could be evaluated in a different way by conducting the EtoE Interpreter Testing Study in 2020, where interpreters took a monolingual ETOE exam and a bilingual CHI exam, and their results were compared. The study provided us with a scientific foundation for a new approach to evaluating interpreting skills. If you are interested in the details, please read the summary report here (it contains the link to the full report, too).

    Therefore, the new monolingual ETOE exam is not intended as a replacement for bilingual exams. It is an opportunity to test the skills of interpreters of any language in a more efficient way, and it closes the gap for languages where performance certification has not been available until this moment. While we are excited to launch this universal skills-based exam, we will also continue to develop bilingual exams in the order that makes the most sense from a feasibility/sustainability standpoint. In fact, the ETOE exam may help point us in the right direction, as it will give us a clearer idea of which languages are most represented among U.S. interpreters who want a higher-tier certification.

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  • I’m CoreCHI™ certified, or work in a language other than Spanish/Arabic/Mandarin. Is the CoreCHI-Performance™ Certification mandatory for me?

    All CoreCHI certificants qualify to take the ETOE exam and earn the CoreCHI-P certification. At this time, transitioning to the CoreCHI-P certification is voluntary. Starting in 2025, this transition will become mandatory, and the CoreCHI certificants will have to earn the CoreCHI-P certification within 1-2 years.

     

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  • What is tested on the ETOE™ performance exam? What are the exam specifications?

    CCHI’s ETOE performance exam (oral exam) tests certain cognitive skills required for healthcare interpreting in a monolingual (English-to-English) format. It consists of 22 scored items in the following sections:

    1. Listening Comprehension – one (1) audio item
    2. Shadowing – one (1) audio item
    3. Memory Capacity – eight (8) audio items
    4. Restate the Meaning – seven (7) audio items
    5. Equivalence of Meaning – four (4) text items
    6. Reading Comprehension – one (1) text, between 170-220 words long, with three (3) questions based on it
    7. Speaking Skills in the Language Other Than English – one (1) unscored item; candidates need to describe the image in their LOTE. (ASL interpreters will be describing the image in English.)

    For more information, you can review the ETOE Exam Specifications or watch this webinar explaining the ETOE exam content. A free practice test is available here.

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  • What is CCHI’s Refund Policy?

    All CCHI certificants, applicants, and candidates must comply with this Refund Policy. Submitting an application online constitutes understanding of and agreement to follow this Policy.

    1.       Examination Fees

    You may receive an exam fee refund ONLY IF your eligibility to take the corresponding exam has not expired, AND:

    • you have not scheduled your exam appointment yet, OR
    • if you have cancelled your exam appointment with Prometric, CCHI’s testing vendor. (Please be aware a $25 cancellation/rescheduling fee paid to Prometric will not be refunded.)

    After you have taken the examination, OR if you missed your exam appointment, NO refunds will be granted.

    Requests for a refund must be received prior to the end of your exam eligibility period:

    • For the CoreCHI™ exam – 6 (six) months from the date of the application approval;
    • For a CHI™ exam – 12 (twelve) months from the date of passing the CoreCHI exam.

    CCHI does not grant refunds after that date (i.e., after the end of your eligibility).

    CCHI charges a processing fee of $12 on all refunds. This amount is subject to change without notice.

    To request a refund, you must contact CCHI via email at info@cchicertification.org.

    To apply for a future exam after cancelling and receiving a refund, you must pay full costs.

    2.       Application Fees

    Application fees are non-refundable.

    CCHI does NOT refund the following processing fees for:

    • Initial application
    • Renewal application

    Reversing transaction charges in connection with payment of these fees without requesting a refund constitutes non-compliance with this policy and may incur disciplinary actions.

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  • Where do I find links to CCHI’s Community Conversations series?

    You can access the YouTube links to the Community Conversations at our Healthcare Interpreting Stakeholders page at https://cchicertification.org/our-community/.

    We also encourage everyone to subscribe to CCHI’s YouTube channel where this series is hosted (see the playlist CCHI Community Conversations).

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  • Do you have a Handbook or Manual about certification renewal?

    Yes, CCHI’s Renewal Handbook as well as additional clarifying information can be found at the Renewal Process webpage (https://cchicertification.org/renew-certification/renewal-process/).

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  • Do you have a Handbook or Manual about your certifications?

    Yes, the CCHI Candidate’s Examination Handbook and other clarifying information can be found at the Eligibility webpage (https://cchicertification.org/certifications/eligibility/).

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  • How can I change the name on my CCHI account and application?

    Only CCHI staff can change the name on your account after verifying the information. Please email a valid document confirming your correct spelling of the name or name change to our Registrar at apply@cchicertification.org. The attached file must be either in JPG, PNG or PDF format; other formats are not accepted.

    Some examples of accepted name verification or name change documents:

    • non-expired U.S. driver’s license
    • non-expired passport
    • marriage or divorce certificate with the name change
    • court order confirming name change.

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  • I translate documents. Can this be considered performance-based continuing education?

    No, translating a document in itself or research in connection with such translation is not considered to be continuing education.

    CCHI defines performance based (PB) training as training aimed to improve the healthcare interpreter’s skills in the three interpreting modes – consecutive, simultaneous, and sight translation (and also in translation, for a maximum of 8 hours). PB courses must include instructor-led practice (in-person or online). Online courses do not need to have a human instructor but must be structured in a way that allows the student to practice the three modes of interpreting, to practice translation and receive some feedback, or to model the translation of assignments.

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