Distinction between a Qualified Interpreter and a Certified Interpreter
Interpreting is all about words—what they mean and how we ensure we get the meaning right when we interpret. The words we choose to describe our profession to potential clients and ourselves matter.
Both terms, qualified interpreter and certified interpreter, are sometimes used as synonyms. Yet understanding the distinction really does matter. Here’s why:
Interpreting is a young profession. There is confusion inside and outside the profession about what constitutes a trained, competent, professional interpreter. As interpreters, we are working towards greater credibility and recognition, and ultimately better pay. Yet, those efforts are undermined when we cannot define, nor articulate, what trained and competent mean in practice. And if we don’t define competence and professionalism in our own field, others will do it for us.
For the client, understanding the distinction is equally important when choosing which interpreter services to subscribe to. Navigating the difference between certified and qualified interpreters can help a requestor make an informed decision about who will fit their language support needs.
Certified Interpreter
Let’s start with the term, “certified interpreter.” This term implies that the interpreter passed an exam or evaluation process by a recognized governmental or professional organization showing interpreting competence in at least two languages. The certification exam itself has been validated as effectively testing interpreting knowledge and skills.
Currently, in the United States, there are validated certification exams for medical and legal interpreting, and general and specialized certifications for sign language interpreters.
On the other side of the globe, NAATI, the national standards and certifying authority for translators and interpreters in Australia, has certifications for the following categories: certified provisional interpreter, certified interpreter, certified specialist health interpreter, certified specialist legal interpreter and certified conference interpreter. A small number of additional countries have developed their own formal certification processes.
A great metaphor for certification is the difference between passing the bar and finishing law school. Your courses as a law student prepare you to pass the bar, but they do not guarantee it. Certified interpreters have passed the bar exam.
A Shortage of Available Certifications around the Globe
Interpreter certifications are only available for a limited number of language pairs.
The stark truth is that there will never be enough money, expertise or even demand for interpreter certification tests across all possible language pairs for all specialties. Yet, hospitals, courts, schools, governments and most clients would love to see those magic initials, such as RN, MD, Esq., or PhD, after interpreters’ names that prove we can do what we say we do and that an outside authority agrees.
Dr. Bill Rivers, long-time language services industry advocate, wrote a white paper recently that describes the problem, using data that NIMDZI (one of the language industry’s leading research publisher) gathered on certification in the state of California as an example:
However, of the 38,600 Interpreters and Translators in California, only 12.6 percent hold any certification, and no certification is valid in every domain. For example, there are 1075 Interpreters certified by the Certification Commission on Healthcare Interpreting, whose certification does not make them eligible to work in the State Courts or other administrative law/legal settings. Moreover, the development of occupationally valid certification tests requires a sample of at least 100 [exam]s, in order to validate the test, and often requires more than $250,000 per test. As more than 350 languages are spoken in the US, the costs for developing certifications in every language and every domain (legal, medical, and others) is prohibitive, and for many languages there are not enough interpreters and translators available to validate a test. It is simply not feasible to test and certify every language needed.
Despite existing demand, language companies and clients struggle to find trained, professional interpreters with clear indicators of their skills in hundreds of languages globally.
Unlike practicing law here in the United States, the multitude of language pairs make it impossible for there to be one definitive exam, like the bar, to exist in the interpreting space. Rather than just testing knowledge about the mechanics of interpreting, an interpreter certification exam by nature has to test language proficiency and terminology skills in more than one language. Developing the questions to sufficiently gauge those abilities requires money and expertise simply not available for every language combination.
As interpreters, we would all love to be able to take the definitive test that would show the world we can interpret competently, in the same way that doctors, teachers, lawyers, nurses and any other number of professions can. But since that simply isn’t possible, we come to our second term: “qualified interpreter.”
Qualified Interpreter
This term is much less precise in its meaning than “certified interpreter.” A “qualified interpreter” can interpret competently in at least two languages.
Most certifying bodies provide a “qualified” or “provisional” status for interpreters who speak languages for which no certification is available. In this case, the criteria for what is considered “qualified” may consist of showing the required level of language proficiency, passing a test in English or a country’s primary language of service, and proof of the individual’s ability to provide interpreting services.
Recent federal and state legislation has aimed to clarify the distinction between certified and qualified interpreters, especially in healthcare. As of April 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued revised regulations under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will go into effect 60 days after publishing. These updates emphasize the importance of trained, professional interpreters and aim to ensure equitable language access for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).
Under the new regulations, healthcare providers are required to inform LEP individuals of their right to free language assistance services. The use of untrained interpreters, such as family members or friends, is now restricted unless the patient specifically requests it in private with a professional interpreter present, except in emergency situations. Furthermore, the regulations restore quality standards for remote interpreting services, requiring high-quality video and phone connections and qualified interpreters with training.
These regulations are a big step forward in promoting better care for diverse populations, reinforcing the importance of working with both certified and qualified interpreters to ensure clear, accurate communication. The updated ruling underscores that organizations must prioritize language access by providing proper training for their staff on the use of interpreting services and ensuring that interpreters are properly qualified.
Watch our on-demand webinar with expert Bill Rivers on the Section 1557 ruling.
Make Our Words Count
Many of us who have watched the interpreting profession grow remember the early days (and still occasionally today) when companies that provide language services and training programs would declare an interpreter “certified” if they completed a privately developed training and testing process.
The industry has made a lot of progress over the past 30 years and interpreters and advocates like myself have worked hard to build credibility and visibility by reserving the term “certified” for validated, skills-based testing processes. But much confusion remains.
The time has passed to rein this confusion in. When federal and state governments take the time to define what they consider to be competent, trained professionals, we want to make sure they are using the criteria that we, as a profession, have developed and stand by.
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