We routinely participate in and sponsor national conferences organized by professional interpreter/translator associations such as:

• American Translators Association (ATA)
• International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA)
• National Council on Interpretation in Health Care (NCIHC)
• California Healthcare Interpreters Association (CHIA) 

HEALTHCARE, BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT CREDENTIALS

Interpreter Qualifications

• Oral and written proficiency in English and the target language(s)
• At least one year of recent, professional experience interpreting within one or more of the following areas: Healthcare, Call Centers, 9-1-1Emergency Services, Insurance, Government, Utilities, Financial, or Telecommunications
• Strict adherence to Interpreters’ Code of Ethics, Standards of Behavior, and Confidentiality Pledge
• All candidates must pass a criminal background check prior to being contracted

Medically Qualified

We recruit interpreters who have worked in medical settings as either interpreters or providers. Our interpreters include foreign medical graduates, registered nurses, medical assistants, and other healthcare providers.

Screening and Assessment

We utilize a comprehensive bilingual proficiency and interpreter assessment designed to test a potential candidate's oral language skills in English and the non-English language, knowledge of general medical terminology, and the ability to accurately transfer meaning units back and forth between the two languages. This process meets the standards currently recommended by the National Council on Interpretation in Health Care.

Development and Adherence to National Interpreting Standards

Even though a federal certification program for interpreters does not currently exist, we are active in establishing national standards for telephone interpreting. We currently qualify our interpreters based on stringent company-established criteria, which has been adapted and is upheld by the most current industry standards recommended by the National Council on Interpretation in Health Care (NCIHC), the International Medical Interpreter’s Association (IMIA), the California Health Interpreters Association (CHIA), and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

Commitment to Quality Assurance

• We continually monitor our services to ensure our customers that their patients are provided with accurate, professional, and timely language interpreting. Monitoring includes:
• Random daily call monitoring of interpreters
• Telephonic interpreting skills evaluation
• Daily reports
• Customer service performance evaluations
• Call quality evaluation, including technical issues

Confidentiality Pledge and HIPAA Compliance

All of our Corporate Employees, Customer Service Associates, and Interpreters sign a confidentiality pledge.  A Human Resource Department representative discusses the topic of confidentiality with each employee/contractor quarterly and during the initial orientation session.

Note: We are prepared to assist our customers in meeting the regulatory requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We can provide a Business Associate Agreement as an Addendum to your contract that addresses the management of documentation required under HIPAA.

Code of Ethics

Each interpreter is provided with a Code of Ethics that defines our commitment to ethical interpretation and confidentiality standards. A signed copy of the Code of Ethics and an in-depth discussion of the Interpreter Code of Ethics is an integral part of the orientation required of our staff before they begin accepting assignments.

Continuing Education

We take pride in our commitment to provide continuous education and development for all interpreter staff. All interpreters are required to gain 12 hours of continuing education each year of their employment, either in-house or by utilizing other training programs in their community. We provide continuing education through:

• Interpreting conferences
• Links to industry resources on terminology, standards, and best practices
• Access to third-party training programs
• Monthly newsletters that address current interpreting issues/trends being adapted by the interpreting industry