Interpreter & Translator Associations

American Translators Association

ATA is a professional association founded to advance the translation and interpreting professions and foster the professional development of individual translators and interpreters. Its 11,000 members in more than 90 countries include translators, interpreters, teachers, project managers, web and software developers, language company owners, hospitals, universities, and government agencies
www.atanet.org

International Medical Interpreters Association

The International Medical Interpreters Association is the only national trade association committed to the advancement of professional medical interpreters as the best practice to equitable language access to health care for linguistically diverse patients. Founded in 1986, with over 1,900 members, most providing interpreting services in over 70 languages, the IMIA is the oldest and largest medical interpreter association in the country.
www.imiaweb.org

Midwest Association of Translators & Interpreters

The Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters (MATI), a chapter of the American Translators Association (ATA), is a professional association founded by and for translators and interpreters in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
www.matiata.org

National Council of Interpreters in Healthcare

The NCIHC is a multidisciplinary organization based in the United States whose mission is to promote culturally competent professional healthcare interpreting as a means to support equal access to health care for individuals with limited English proficiency www.ncihc.org

Cultural Competence

Diversity Rx Promotes language and cultural competence to improve the quality of health care for minority, immigrant, and ethnically diverse communities www.diversityrx.org

National Interpreter Certification

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters

The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters will be a 501c3 non-profit organization, formed from an independent group of industry professionals that represent all stakeholder groups including professional medical interpreters, trainers, employers, and regulators. The Board will be the certifying entity and will be given independent authority over all essential certification decisions. It will not be responsible for accreditation of educational or training programs or courses of study leading to the certification. The formation and structure of the National Board of Certification will adhere to the standards and requirements for certification program governance mandated by the National Organization for Competency Assurance. Several stakeholder groups (e.g., the public and other consumers, trainers, employers, regulators, and certificants) are represented.
www.certifiedmedicalinterpreters.org

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters

The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) was incorporated in July 2009 as an independent certification agency and 501(c)(6) organization in compliance with requirements of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for certification commissions. CCHI is the first to step forward with a total structure and vendor-neutral business plan to serve the current and future needs of healthcare interpreters and the stakeholders (healthcare providers and institutions, language services agencies, government agencies, and patients) who are counting on us to provide a trained, qualified, certified and competency-based population of healthcare interpreters.
www.healthcareinterpretercertification.org

Policies

The Joint Commission

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 17,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to meeting certain performance standards. Research Study available on Hospital, Language & Cultural Projects
www.jointcommission.org

The Office of Civil Rights

As the Department's civil rights and health privacy rights law enforcement agency, OCR investigates complaints, enforces rights, and promulgates regulations, develops policy and provides technical assistance and public education to ensure understanding of and compliance with non-discrimination and health information privacy laws.
www.hhs.gov

Other

Robert Wood Foundation

The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. Our goal is clear: To help Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need.
www.rwf.org

Hablamos Juntos: Improving Patient-Provider Communication for Latinos

To improve access to quality health care for Latinos with limited English proficiency through the use of cost-effective interpretation and translation services
www.hablamosjuntos.org