National and international leaders, advocates and other stakeholders in the medical interpreting industry will gather on Monday, April 30, 2012, in Tulsa, Oklahoma for the 6th Annual National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum.

The event is open to all hospitals, government agencies, interpreters and other stakeholders, and will include guest speakers and discussions that address the advancement of national certification, best practices in the profession and perspectives from industry leaders. Participants will share advocacy updates, status of educational programs and new opportunities for involvement in shaping the future of medical interpreting.

"This annual event has raised the level of awareness to this issue considerably. However, we must continue to expand our efforts so that every stakeholder in healthcare understands how important error-free communication is to avoid negative health outcomes to a vulnerable population," said Izabel Arocha, Executive Director of the International Medical Interpreters Association (IMIA). "This forum spotlights the importance and need for all healthcare institutions to adopt national certification and other best practices quickly so medical professionals and institutions are not held liable."

Key speaker Louis F. Provenzano, Jr., President and CEO of Monterey, California-based Language Line Services, launched the National Medical Interpreter Certification Forum in 2007 when his organization invited national leaders in the field of medical interpreting to join forces and work toward national certification. The annual forum is now an industry staple, with more than a hundred stakeholders attending the event every year.

See Also

• More about medical interpretation
  Qualified medical interpreters must be knowledgeable in medical terminology in both the source and target languages.
• The complete news release for the upcoming medical interpreting certification forum
  6th Annual Forum to be held on April 30, 2012