Recognition & Accreditation
Accreditation
So far as we know there is no accrediting authority for interpreters in Canada. In some respects the Ministry of Attorney General’s Court Services Branch acts like an accrediting body with respect to Court Interpreters In British Columbia, and some interpreters refer to themselves as “Court Accredited”, or the like. However, Court Services has specifically told us that they are not an accrediting body and that they rely on certificates or certifications issued by various institutions. It appears that none of those institutions are government bodies.
Recognition
VanSIT has negotiated for recognition of our graduates with various agencies that hire interpreters. That recognition generally take the form of putting our certificated interpreters on the agency’s call list at or near the top and in some cases starting them off at an experienced pay rate. This is a series of bilateral agreements with individual users who trust our training and who we trust to treat their contractors fairly.
A list of recognizing agencies includes three community services offices and the Court Services Branch of BC. Agency names and contact people are passed along to our certificated graduates.