Since 2022, certified medical interpreters (CMIs) and administrators in the Workers’ Compensation Interpreter Group within the Northern California Translators Association (NCTA) have expressed concern about the misuse of the pre-certification HUB-CMI (HUB for Credentialed Medical Interpreters) badge issued by the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI).
Specifically, the group and the NCTA at large report a widespread and growing trend of non-certified individuals accepting interpreting assignments reserved for CMIs. State regulations explicitly require fully certified interpreters for high-stakes medical-legal evaluations.
To uphold due process for working-age Californians who speak a language other than English at home, the Department of Workers’ Compensation mandates that an interpreter be present at all medical treatment appointments, legal depositions, and hearings.
The NCTA has documented numerous incidents where non-certified individuals were erroneously permitted to interpret at these frequent workers’ compensation evaluations, which by law are reserved for highly qualified, fully certified interpreters.
The issue is not just the lack of full certification, but also how those credentials are presented. Certification advocates allege that a number of HUB-CMI credential holders are intentionally misrepresenting themselves as “fully certified” to medical office staff.
HUB-CMI is a preliminary, non-renewable entry-level interpreting credential. It indicates that an individual has passed a written examination in English only, demonstrating a baseline knowledge of the medical interpreting profession.
CMI is the full certification granted by the NBCMI. It requires passing both the written exam and a rigorous oral examination in a specific language. The proper credential designation includes the language, such as “CMI-Spanish.”
Advocates for certified interpreters argue that credential misrepresentation, including expired pre-certification status, is a direct violation of the NBCMI’s own disciplinary policy, which lists “fraud or misrepresentation of the NBCMI credentials” as grounds for sanctions.
“It would be simply devastating to see NBCMI or other certified interpreters, who have spent considerable resources on training and testing, be replaced by those who have not yet attained the appropriate credentials,” said Lorena Ortiz Schneider, a leading advocate for California certified interpreters.
“The National Board has emphasized that, as a certification body, we do not have the power to oversee the types of assignments that an interpreter takes,” said NBCMI Chair, Joanna Larson. “We have recommended that these concerns be taken to the relevant state body that oversees this legislation. Additionally, we have reminded CMI and HUB-CMI interpreters that they are responsible for being familiar with and abiding by any local laws in the area or areas that they serve.”
Slator (1/29/26) By Rocío Txabarriaga