Breakout Room 5 Notes

Language Access Work Group

Notes from 

Meeting 3 Breakout Room 5

August 22, 2023

Breakout Room 5 Participants                                       Breakout Room 5 Facilitator

Vicky Chan                                                                             PaKou Lee

Faye Chien

Zugey Garcia

Luisa Gracia

Jarrod Irvin

Ruiqin Miao, PhD

Gustavo Negrete

Yun-Mei Wang Wilborn

 

Homework: Please share what would you like to see in a draft recommendation, or what have you already shared in a draft recommendation, regarding the first two main components of the Preliminary Elements of Medical Interpreter Testing and Certification information sheet: testing entities and technology.

 

  • Accountability of the entity. Some kind of oversight. Need to be able to get reports around sustainability.

  • Conflict of interest with a testing center also managing interpreters. Testing entity must not have, or appear to have, a conflict of interest.

  • CCHI (Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters) tests online and in testing centers.

  • Current technology does not support audio testing in a format that is good for the candidate and safe for the tester. Online audio interpreting is not a good idea. Forty-eight-hour rule to check on cheating, etc. first. It takes a bit of time (a week or more) to double check.

  • Must have expertise of languages with lesser demand.

  • Looking at community/technical colleges. Work with testing agencies to deliver standardized, accredited tests. Have a system in place for testing. These would be, not the content developers, but the administrators - in person and virtually.

  • Only one or two organizations in the nation meet these criteria. It is not a good use of taxpayer money to have Washington try to redevelop these high stakes tests when we have organizations that are dedicated to this. Maybe partner with them and community colleges for testing.

  • Ideal scenario means we have the money to roll this out. Regarding state level testing, until the money is there it is a moot discussion. Need a credited exam. CCHI has been approachable regarding scholarships and doing groups. Find a way to work with colleges and do pre-vetting. Then contact certification bodies. CCHI is accredited by third parties. Community colleges can keep records on testing. This takes pre-work off of CCHI's plate. Then CCHI can reduce the price.

  • Individual agencies can create a bridge now to get people certified. Instead of just relying on the legislature for a big package, perhaps create an articulation agreement with community colleges for testing. Perhaps community colleges can ask for federal funding to open testing sites. How do we get the backlog done?

  • Do agencies like CCHI have opportunities for AI translation services?

  • What is CCHI’s competency around languages of lesser demand? What is the downside to using them vs. another company?

  • CCHI does have a program and two certifications for languages of lesser demand. CCHI is open to offer testing at colleges. It does work with Oregon - contracts with them. Oregon has federal funding.