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.