Continuing Education

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Birnbaum Interpreting Services is adamant that our resources maintain and even improve upon their skills and knowledge. Experience may be a great teacher, but interpreters and captioners may also find themselves out of practice should they enter other sectors or industries. The industry requires standards and safeguards to prevent providers from using old certifications as sufficient means to practice Deaf access services despite any infringements upon quality. That’s why Birnbaum Interpreting Services enforces—and supplies—RID-approved Continuing Education services, otherwise known in the industry as CEUs.

The Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf creates, manages, and assigns the United States’ leading Sign Language Interpreting certification. Referred to as RID certification, this card and its holder’s corresponding identification number permits interpreters into the industry’s highest echelons. All Federal interpreters working for BIS are required to be RID certified. Similar standards exist for CART captioners through the NCRA (National Court Reporters Association). Here, we focus on Birnbaum Interpreting Services’ internal CEU program.

Obtaining RID certification is one thing. But RID anticipated that maintenance of skills is required to avoid complacency once the certification is secured. Birnbaum Interpreting Services demands of all resources Continuing Education or other industry equivalents. Furthermore, to retain their RID certification, interpreters must complete no less than eight CEUs within a four-year cycle.

BIS is an RID-Approved Sponsor of Continuing Education. We process Sponsor Initiated Activities, Participated Initiated Activities, College/University Coursework and Independent Studies. BIS staff Interpreters working 32 hours or more receive complimentary CEUs as a benefit of employment.

Birnbaum Interpreting Services also provides CEUs for all interpreters in need.

BIS staff interpreter Randy Thuesen has more than a decade of experience as a Sign Language Interpreter, industry administrator, and provider of Continuing Education. Randy provides CEUs for all interpreters in need—whether they be BIS internal staff or any interpreter looking for a good workshop that fits their improvement program.

Randy is always creating a new CEU product to keep things fresh and informative. While past BIS CEUs may not be repeated, they do give an idea of the ground Randy tends to cover. Previous CEUs have included:

  • Government interpreting etiquette and jargon

  • Medical terminology

  • Legal vocabulary and application

  • Code of professional ethics

  • First responders training

  • Emergency preparedness

  • Custom designed workshops

  • and so much more

To process your CEUs, email Randy Thuesen at randy.thuesen@bisworld.com or call (301) 587-8885

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