100 Secure Funding for BEI Certification Scholarships
Issue: Interpreter shortage. Certification tests are expensive, especially for new interpreters without secure income. RID Bachelors’ degree requirement to sit for certification limits the pool of otherwise qualified interpreters. EIPA is only for educational settings. Texas offers the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) Certification Program but requires travel to Texas for the testing, which is too expensive for some candidates.
Proposed Solution: Commission and/or State Services seek legislative funding to offer scholarships and/or travel stipends for Minnesota based interpreters seeking RID and/or BEI Certifications. Alternatively, MRID or interpreter referral companies could consider a micro grant program for supporting new interpreters seeking certification.
Expected outcome: Increased number of certified interpreters.
Who is impacted: Prospective interpreters
Timeline: 6 months
Note: Outside of K12 education, most entities hiring interpreters require RID certification. A related conversation would be to encourage allowing the BEI as an accepted certification by Minnesota’s interpreter employers. The BEI program also offers a trilingual (Spanish), court and medical performance test.
Summary of Support Image Description
The stacked bar charts show how respondents rated their level of support and the total number of responses. The percentage for the five support levels is shown from left to right: Strongly Oppose (Dark Red), Oppose (Light Red), Neutral (Yellow), Support (Light Blue), and Strongly Support (Dark Blue).
Respondents may identify with multiple subgroups. The overall level of support is:
Overall
Strongly Oppose: 1%
Oppose: 7%
Neutral: 32%
Support: 30%
Strongly Support: 31%
Click to see the detailed image description for each subgroup.
Interpreter
Strongly Oppose: 2%
Oppose: 12%
Neutral: 30%
Support: 32%
Strongly Support: 24%
Certified Interpreter
Strongly Oppose: 2%
Oppose: 14%
Neutral: 30%
Support: 28%
Strongly Support: 26%
DDBHH Consumer
Strongly Oppose: 0%
Oppose: 6%
Neutral: 33%
Support: 24%
Strongly Support: 37%
Non-Certified Interpreter
Strongly Oppose: 0%
Oppose: 0%
Neutral: 27%
Support: 45%
Strongly Support: 27%
System Stakeholder
Strongly Oppose: 3%
Oppose: 7%
Neutral: 40%
Support: 30%
Strongly Support: 20%
Overview of Respondents Opting for In-Depth Solution Analysis
After indicating their support level, 4% of the 88 respondents opted in to further assess whether the solution would worsen or improve on five metrics. Of the opt-in reviewers (4 respondents), 75% supported the solution, 25% were neutral on the solution, and 0% opposed the solution.
The remaining 84 respondents did not opt in to further assess the solution. Of these people, 59% support the solution, 32% were neutral on the solution, and 8% opposed the solution.
Reviewer Evaluation of Solution Effectiveness
Solution Effectiveness Image Description
The stacked bar charts show how respondents assessed the effectiveness of this solution based on five metrics. For each metric, the percentage of respondents is shown from left to right: Worsens (Red), Improves (Blue), No Impact (Gray).
DDBHH Quality of Life
Makes It Worse 0%
Makes It Better 100%
No Impact 0%
Interpreter Satisfaction
Makes It Worse 0%
Makes It Better 100%
No Impact 0%
Consumer Choice
Makes It Worse 0%
Makes It Better 100%
No Impact 0%
Interpreting Availability
Makes It Worse 0%
Makes It Better 100%
No Impact 0%
Interpreting Quality
Makes It Worse 0%
Makes It Better 100%
No Impact 0%
Reviewer Feedback and Insights
Interpreter
Comments from Interpreters suggest that funding should support interpreters traveling to Texas to take the BEI certification exam. Another comment emphasizes the need for the state or agencies to first recognize BEI certification before offering scholarships, and notes that other states besides Texas also offer the BEI exam.
Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing
No comments were submitted.
System Stakeholder
No comments were submitted.
PREVIOUS SOLUTION
99 Develop Alternative Pathways to Certification
Issue: Not all prospective interpreters find ITPs as the most effective route for them to become interpreters. Alternate pathways to gaining a bachelor’s degree to sit for RID certification are not well documented. This may be particularly true for BIPOC interpreters and those seeking to become Certified Deaf interpreters.
NEXT SOLUTION
101 Review Historical ITP Results
Issue: Comprehensive and accessible data about ITP results is not readily available.
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