Last week, Language Line Services announced the results of its latest forum on medical interpreter certification. Switching things up from last year’s Boston location, the event took place on the opposite side of the country in Portland, Oregon, one of a growing number of states with formal programs for medical interpreter certification. As usual, when the market leader in the telephone interpreting space makes a move, the industry mumbles, rumbles, and grumbles. Key players and competitors reacted with a mixture of questions about what the over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) provider is doing about certification — and what it might do in the year to come. A plethora of certification programs for medical interpreters already exists. With the Language Line program included, there are currently 7 certification programs, plus initiatives in 8 states (Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, and Texas). So why would anyone re-invent, or in this case, re-announce the wheel? Reason number one: the United States currently lacks a nationally available medical interpreter certification. The Language Line press release also offers a few additional clues to things that may be lacking in the current market for programs, citing results of a survey of nearly 800 buyers and prospects. Among other things, the survey found that:
National availability? Check. Multiple levels of certification? Check. Language proficiency testing services? Check. Ability to test remotely? Check. Tests available in many languages? Czech. Okay, while Language Line does not have Czech interpreter certification yet, it does offer 22 languages: Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Korean, Khmer, Arabic, German, French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Russian, Tagalog, Somali, Farsi, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian and Hmong. It also sells language proficiency testing services. Lessons learned from related interpreting disciplines teach us that an overabundance of supply for interpreter testing programs often leads to consolidation. Cases in point:
The elephant in the room is the National Coalition on Health Care Interpreter Certification, which boasts a coordinating committee comprised of several groups and professional associations with widespread support from health care organizations, non-profits, and other major stakeholders. The Coalition issued a call for membership application in March. Successful applicants were to receive notification during the week of 5 May, 2008. The announcement from Language Line was released on 6 May. Just a few days later, on 9 May, the Coalition issued its own press release, naming Language Line and competitor CyraCom as two of the newest additions to the 17-member coalition. It remains to be seen whether Language Line will link its commitment to release a pilot test within a year’s time with its participation in the Coalition, or whether it will continue to press forward with both initiatives simultaneously but separately. On the business side, fellow suppliers and buyers of telephone interpreting should pay close attention — there’s more to this story. The development indicates a focused business strategy for the telephone interpreting giant that has significant implications for the entire industry. We predict that this issue, and Language Line’s attention to it, won’t be disappearing anytime soon. Read our “Certification Fixation in the Interpreting Field” Quick Take for a deeper analysis of this move by Language Line, a summary of reactions from competitors, and potential impact on the market at large.
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