California Healthcare Interpreting Association Interviews CCHI's Youdelman
on Uniqueness, Future of CCHI

Questions & Answers from Mara Youdelman's interview
with Margarita Bekker for CHIA's October Newsletter

CCHI it an outgrowth of 20 years of conversations that interpreters and others have had about certification. Many of our commissioners have been involved in these discussions and sought to initiate a certification commission that would honor these conversations by developing a valid, credible, vendor-neutral certification program. CCHI’s commitment is to develop a process that is based on data and with the input from thousands of interpreters form across the country. We put together the best structure with best people to validate the conversations that have been happenings.

We expect to work with linguists and academics in all aspects of the development of certification. Just like we will involve interpreters across the country, we want linguists and academics to be involved in our process. For example, in developing a certification examination that will be culturally and linguistically appropriate, we will involve highly skilled linguists in defining the test parameters, in the evaluation of test process, in evaluation of all the items that has been written, and in all the phases of test development.　

As far as the training community, The National Council on Interpreting in Health Care (NCIHC) is leading a process to develop National Training Standards. We will be working with them because training and certification are related. That is, CCHI will have to determine, based on data gathered, prerequisites for certification. It is possible that completion of a training program might be one prerequisite. And, if so, we will examine the relevance of NCIHC’s training standards. But I can’t provide any more details because these decisions are all dependent on the data we will be gathering from interpreters and their employers. It is the data that will drive decisions about certification.

CCHI and NCIHC are separate entities with separate Boards of Directors, legal status, missions and funding. CCHI’s sole mission is to develop national certification. NCIHC has a broad mission to support equal access to health care for individuals with limited English proficiency.

The CCHI business model is exactly the same as all successful, well-respected certification commissions—we generate revenue by creating value for customers. The majority of all revenue comes from candidates for the certification and those who are remaining in the profession and wish to recertify every 3 to 5 years. In many cases, certification history tells us, it is the employer of the certified person who encourages them to stay current, get training and keep their certification status active.

Also, like other independent, vendor-neutral certification bodies, CCHI will look at the expressed needs from schools, training providers, company-run worker training professionals and many others for a CCHI endorsement type program. This happens in year two or three, but it is a major activity of many healthcare certification commissions.

Beyond that, there are others who are asking CCHI for involvement in our certification programs, such as funding directors from foundation, government and private sources. In every situation, CCHI will disclose the sources of gifts. We have an explicit Acceptance of Gifts policy which is available on our website. Our gift policy requires that gifts be made with no strings attached. We will not accept any financial or in-kind support that affects the Commission’s independence to pursue its work; or endangers the Commission’s integrity or reputation. Anyone who provides funding agrees to abide by this policy.
　

Our commissioners are meeting in Chicago in a week and we will be explicitly discussing how we will involve all of our Advisors in our work. We view state associations as a vital conduit of information both to and from their members. We would expect to work with associations like CHIA to gather information from your members and involve CHIA members in the certification development process. We believe that interpreter associations and their members should have an active role in certification development and will provide additional information after our Commissioner’s meeting.

First, let’s make sure we are answering the question as intended. CCHI makes choices and decisions based on what’s right for the healthcare interpreter field, immediately and for a long time—as long as any interpreter works and stays in the field. So we don’t "have to" do anything. We choose to do the right thing.

The word "scratch" can have a lot of meanings, so let’s say you mean "doing it right, from the start, all the way through." Because CCHI is the first, freestanding certification commission for healthcare interpreters, it is our mission and moral obligation to make sure all starts are correct and that the precedents we set will withstand the test of time.

To develop a valid and credible certification program, one must undertake certain steps, in a specific order, because a certification test must be based on valid data. That is, one needs to conduct a Job Task Analysis prior to deciding what components and subject matter will be included on a test. It is the JTA that will provide the overarching framework for the certification program; differentiate between job categories; determine certification tracks and levels for awarding credentials (for example, results may suggest a need for a general healthcare interpreting certification and a mental health interpreting certification); establish exam segmentation; delineate job roles and how they map across certification tracks and tests; and determine the appropriate levels of competency and define areas of expertise for interpreters. There’s a timeline on our website that outlines the steps that must happen to develop a valid and credible certification program – this is what NOCA’s accrediting arm, NCCA, will look at when determining whether to accredit a certification program. 

We will be posting information about each step in CCHI’s development of certification on our website and with updates to our mailing list. For example, we will provide information as we develop the Job Task Analysis about how interpreters can get involved. And when the Job Task Analysis is complete, we will share information about the results. We will always post the names and affiliations of those will be working with us to develop certification including Advisors, Working Group Members, and Subject Matter Experts.

If organizations are interested, we are pleased to provide regular articles for their newsletters or email distributions. And we expect to participate in conferences across the country to inform people of our efforts and how to get involved.

People who have additional questions can always send us an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or can directly contact one of our Commissioners.

Just to clarify, the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) itself has no certification process. NOCA is a membership organization. NOCA created and started the NCCA as an independent credentialing body. NCCA evaluates certification organizations for compliance with the NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs.

NCCA, which was formed by NOCA as their freestanding, vendor neutral accrediting agency is the national organization that would accredit the CCHI Certification programs. By design and definition, certification is national. It is not state-based. Licensure is state based. Certification provides a credential that is honored in every state. And obtaining NCCA accreditation is a rigorous process and a new certification program can apply for accreditation either after one year of administration of their assessment instrument or when at least 500 candidates have been assessed with their instrument, whichever comes first.

Having said that, we can now put your question into perspective and it’s evident that there is no conflict no conflict of interest for state associations to be involved with CCHI as advisors to assist in the development of certification. To clarify, our Advisors are not "members" of CCHI. We are not a membership organization or a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We are a non-profit certification commission – in fact, we just received our approval from the IRS last week. We have customers, often called candidates for certification or (once certified) they are called CCHI Certified. Other customers include stakeholders and employers of those who intend to achieve CCHI Certification. This is one of many ways the structure of a certification commission differs from a professional or trade association which has members with specific voting rights. Certification must be based on data to be valid and credible. Thus, we are involving state associations and others as Advisors to have a voice in the process.

To further avoid any concerns about conflicts of interest, any individual serving as a Commissioner, Advisor, Working Group Member or Subject Matter Expert must sign a Conflict of Interest policy. CCHI’s Conflict of Interest policy is available at.
　

We have a lot of information on our website that details our work, how valid and credible certification programs are developed, and about our Commissioners and Advisors.

In addition, we encourage everyone to send us questions – you can send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . So that everyone can benefit from the information, we will post answers through our website on the "Conversations" page.