There are several organizations that provide certification to sign language interpreters. The largest of these is the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) which certifies interpreters nationally in the United States and Canada. Other organizations provide or have provided certifications to sign language interpreters in the past, and those certifications are also described below.
Certifications for American Sign Language Interpreters:
First Generation RID Certification
CSC (Comprehensive Skills Certificate)
Holders of this full certificate have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English, and to transliterate between spoken English and an English-based sign language. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. The CSC examination was offered until 1987. This test is no longer offered.
MCSC (Master Comprehensive Skills Certificate)
The MCSC examination was designed with the intent of testing for a higher standard of performance than the CSC. Holders of this certificate were required to hold the CSC prior to taking this exam. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. This test is no longer offered.
RSC (Reverse Skills Certificate)
Holders of this full certificate have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and English-based sign language or transliterate between spoken English and a signed code for English. Holders of this certificate are deaf or hard-of-hearing and interpretation/transliteration is rendered in ASL, spoken English and a signed code for English or written English. Holders of the RSC are recommended for a broad range of interpreting assignments where the use of an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing would be beneficial. This test is no longer offered. Individuals interested in this certificate should take the CDI exam.
IC/TC (Interpretation Certificate/Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate between English and a signed code for English and the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification. This test is no longer offered.
IC (Interpretation Certificate)
Holder of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification or partial IC/TC certification. The IC was formerly known as the Expressive Interpreting Certificate (EIC). This test is no longer offered.
TC (Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate between spoken English and a signed code for English. This individual received scores on the CSC examination which prevented the awarding of full CSC certification or IC/TC certification. The TC was formerly known as the Expressive Transliterating Certificate (ETC). This test is no longer offered.
Second Generation RID Certification
CI (Certificate of Interpretation)
Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in interpretation and have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English for both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign tasks. The interpreter’s ability to transliterate is not considered in this certification. Holders of the CI are recommended for a broad range of interpretation assignments. This test is no longer offered.
CT (Certificate of Transliteration)
Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in transliteration and have demonstrated the ability to transliterate between English-based sign language and spoken English for both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign tasks. The transliterator’s ability to interpret is not considered in this certification. Holders of the CT are recommended for a broad range of transliteration assignments. This test is no longer offered.
CI and CT (Certificate of
Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration)
Holders of both full certificates
(as listed above) have demonstrated competence in both interpretation and
transliteration. Holders of the CI and CT are recommended for a broad range of
interpretation and transliteration assignments.
CDI (Certified Deaf Interpreter)
Holders of this certification are interpreters who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, and who have completed at least eight hours of training on the NAD-RID Code of Professional Conduct; eight hours of training on the role and function of an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing; and have passed a comprehensive combination of written and performance tests. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of assignments where an interpreter who is deaf or hard-of-hearing would be beneficial. This test is currently on moratorium – individuals interested in this should consider the PDIC (provisional) certification until the new test is completed. https://rid.org/rid-certification-overview/available-certification/provisional-deaf-interpreter-credential-pdi/
OIC:C (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Comprehensive)
Holders of this generalist certificate demonstrated both the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and the ability to understand and repeat the message and intent of the speech and mouth movements of the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This test is no longer offered.
OIC:S/V (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Spoken to Visible)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This individual received scores on the OIC:C examination which prevented the awarding of full OIC:C certification. This test is no longer offered.
OIC:V/S (Oral Interpreting Certificate: Visible to Spoken)
Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to understand the speech and silent mouth movements of a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and to repeat the message for a hearing person. This individual received scores on the OIC:C examination which prevented the awarding of full OIC:C certification. This test is no longer offered.
OTC (Oral Transliteration Certificate)
Holders of this generalist certificate have demonstrated, using silent oral techniques and natural gestures, the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. They have also demonstrated the ability to understand and repeat the message and intent of the speech and mouth movements of the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This test is currently under moratorium.
SC:L (Specialist Certificate: Legal) This credential is fully recognized by RID, but the designation is no longer awarded by RID. This designation went into moratorium effective January 1, 2016. Holders of this specialist certification demonstrated specialized knowledge of legal settings and greater familiarity with language used in the legal system. These individuals are recommended for a broad range of assignments in the legal setting. This credential was offered from 1998 to 2016. The SC:L, and specialist testing in general, are topics of investigation as part of the 2016-2018 Certification Committee Scope Of Work.
Third Generation RID Certification
Leveled NIC Certification (National Interpreter Certification)
Individuals achieving certification at the NIC, NIC Advanced or NIC Master level are all professionally certified interpreters. The National Interpreter Certification (NIC) exam tests interpreting skills and knowledge in three critical domains:
1. General knowledge of the field of interpreting through the NIC
Knowledge exam
2. Ethical decision making through the interview portion of the NIC Performance
test
3. Interpreting and transliterating skills through the performance portion of
the test.
In all three domains, certificate holders must demonstrate professional knowledge and skills that meet or exceed the minimum professional standards necessary to perform in a broad range of interpretation and transliteration assignments.
NIC
Individuals who achieve the NIC level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam. They have also scored within the standard range of a professional interpreter on the interview and performance portions of the test.
NIC Advanced
Individuals who achieved the NIC Advanced level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam; scored within the standard range of a professional interpreter on the interview portion; and scored within the high range on the performance portion of the test.
NIC Master
Individuals who achieved the NIC Master level have passed the NIC Knowledge exam. They have scored within the high range of a professional interpreter on both the interview and performance portions of the test.
Individuals who achieve any of the three NIC certification levels are to be commended.
From the beginning of the test development process, under the mandate of the NAD-RID National Council on Interpreting (NCI), the subject matter experts on the test development committee were given the task of developing a test that “raised the bar” for ASL/English interpreting and transliterating standards. This resulted in the development of a challenging NAD-RID NIC test.
Passing the test at the NIC level indicates that the interpreter has demonstrated skills in interpreting that meet a standard professional performance level and should be able to perform the varied functions of interpreting on a daily basis with competence and skill. It also shows that an individual has passed a test with both interpreting and transliterating elements, as opposed to one or the other.
Additionally, with increasingly higher standards for the NIC Advanced and NIC Master levels of the test, progressively fewer individuals will meet these requirements. Achieving either the Advanced or Master level is an accomplishment and indicates that the individual exceeds the professional standards established in most routine interpreting assignments. Individuals holding the NIC Advanced and/or Master level certifications may be expected to perform competently in all routine interpreting assignments as well as in assignments that may be more complex in nature or that require interpreting skills above standard levels.
This credential is fully recognized by RID, but the designation is no longer awarded by RID. This designation went into moratorium effective January 1, 2016.
** The Leveled NIC Exam is no longer offered.
Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:K-12)
The EIPA assessment is still available through Boys Town. More information on that can be found at http://www.classroominterpreting.org/eipa/.
Holders of this certification demonstrated the ability to interpret or transliterate classroom content and discourse between students who are deaf and hard of hearing and students, teachers and school staff who are hearing. Certificants demonstrated EIPA Level 4* skills using spoken English and at least one of the following visual languages, constructs, or symbol systems at either an elementary or secondary level:
- American Sign Language (ASL)
- Manually Coded English (MCE)
- Contact Signing (aka: Pidgin Signed English (PSE) or English-like Signing)
- Cued American English (CAE) (aka: Cued Speech)
This credential was offered from 2007 to 2016.
Fourth Generation RID Certification (Currently Awarded Certification)
National Intepreter Certification (NIC)
Holders of this certification have demonstrated general knowledge in the field of interpreting, ethical decision making and interpreting skills. Candidates earn NIC Certification if they demonstrate professional knowledge and skills that meet or exceed the minimum professional standards necessary to perform in a broad range of interpretation and transliteration assignments. This credential has been available since 2005.
The NIC certification process begins with a multiple-choice NIC Knowledge Exam. Candidates are eligible for the NIC Knowledge Exam if they are at least 18 years old. Candidates who have passed the knowledge exam within 5 years and meet RID’s educational requirement may then take the NIC Interview and Performance Exam. The NIC Interview and Performance Exam is a vignette-based assessment using video to deliver and record the assessment.
National Association of the Deaf (NAD Certification)
NAD
III (Generalist) – Average Performance
Holders of this certificate possess above average voice-to-sign skills and good
sign-to-voice skills or vice versa. This individual has demonstrated the minimum
competence needed to meet generally accepted interpreter standards. Occasional
words or phrases may be deleted but the expressed concept is accurate. The
individual displays good control of the grammar of the second language and is
generally accurate and consistent, but is not qualified for all situations.
NAD IV
(Advanced) – Above Average Performance
Holders of this certificate possess excellent voice-to-sign skills and above
average sign-to-voice skills or vice versa. This individual has demonstrated above
average skill in any given area. Performance is consistent and accurate.
Fluency is smooth, with little deleted, and the viewer has no question to the
candidate’s competency. With this certificate, an individual should be able to
interpret in most situations.
NAD V (Master) – Superior Performance
Holders of this certificate possess superior voice-to-sign skills and excellent sign-to-voice skills. This individual has demonstrated excellent to outstanding ability in any given area. There are minimum flaws in their performance, and they have demonstrated interpreting skills necessary in almost all situations.
** The National Association of the Deaf no longer certifies sign language interpreters.
ACCI – The American Consortium of Certified Interpreters
The ACCI test is the same test that carried the NAD label for a number of years. An agreement has been reached to give the option to those who have passed the ACCI test at levels III, IV or V to convert their certification to NAD certification and to allow them the opportunity to join RID under the same type of program that NAD interpreters were offered.
Note: The levels of certification awarded by the ACCI are the same as the levels of certification listed above under “NAD Certification.”
State Quality Assurance (QA) Certification Evaluations
There are many states that require professional interpreters to take and pass a state quality assurance evaluation in order to become a licensed interpreter, and be able to provide interpreting services in those states. In order to determine whether or not your state has such a requirement, contact your local Commission for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing for details. You may also find information at the following link: https://rid.org/advocacy-overview/state-information-and-advocacy/