What is meant by "qualified"?
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires the provision of ‘qualified’ interpreters in a variety of settings. One important measure of an interpreter’s qualifications is professional credentials. These are obtained by taking and passing an assessment test of your skills. The National Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID) provides such testing on a national level. It consists of a written examination to test knowledge of Deaf culture, history and interpreting protocol; a performance evaluation to test interpreting skills; and an interview discussion pertaining to ethical dilemmas. The Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services also offer the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) certification system. The purpose of the BEI interpreter testing and certification process is to ensure that individuals working in Texas as certified American Sign Language (ASL) and/or English interpreters and transliterators meet the minimum proficiency standards established by the Board for Evaluation of Interpreters (BEI) for successfully discharging the responsibilities of a state-certified interpreter. To this end, the BEI has developed a two part certification test, the Test of English Proficiency and the Performance Test.