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Old 01-03-2008, 10:07 PM   #62 (permalink)
Etoile
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 792
I would say that most people who employ interpreters have no idea how to determine if an interpreter is qualified or not. If a theater needs an interpreter, if a doctor needs an interpreter, if a church needs an interpreter...they have no way to know who is "qualified" and who is not. If they call an agency, great, that makes it easy for them. But in places where there are no agencies, they have to rely on SOME way to find out if the interpreters are qualified. Certification is a good way to guess, if you are an employer who has no idea what "qualified" means. If somebody is certified, you can reasonably assume they are also qualified - it's not guaranteed, of course, but it's better than no measure at all.
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