Chapter 3, Standards and Procedures for Interpreter Continuing Education

3.1 Purpose and Scope

The HHSC Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services (DHHS) must approve courses and workshops that provide continuing education to interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing.

This chapter establishes a procedure for:

  • approving continuing education courses, and
  • awarding continuing education units (CEUs).

3.2 Definitions

The following words, where used in this chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Applicant — a person or organization who applies to DHHS for approval of continuing education courses or workshops to award CEUs to interpreters for the deaf.

BEI — Board for Evaluation of Interpreters.

Certificate holder — an interpreter who is certified at a specified skill level by DHHS or BEI.

Class hours — contact hours of formal class instruction or the equivalent as defined and adopted by DHHS.

Continuing education course — any training component provided for interpreters that meets the content requirements for maintaining certification and enhancing skills and knowledge.

General studies — the content area that includes:

  • human services and leadership studies, with topics such as:
    • leadership skills,
    • public relations,
    • public speaking, and
    • community resources; and
  • general knowledge studies, including areas that are less obviously related to the field of interpreting and transliteration, but are educationally beneficial to the participant.

Instructor or presenter — a person approved by DHHS to provide instruction in the discipline of interpreting in an educational setting or workshop.

Professional studies — the content area that includes:

  • linguistic and cultural studies, which includes the study of any language or linguistic system, or the study of any specific culture;
  • theoretical and experiential studies, which includes interpreting and transliterating theory or skill building activities; and
  • specialization studies, which includes aspects of interpreting used in specialized settings such as the legal, medical, mental health, or substance abuse recovery fields.

Program specialist — the DHHS staff person designated to work with DHHS and BEI in administering the CEU program, and who may be reached by mail at the following address: HHSC DHHS, Attention: CEU Program, P.O. Box 12904, Austin, Texas 78711.

Training — the content of any course, workshop, event, program, or seminar, that provides information and activities to enhance the skill and knowledge of participating interpreters.

3.3 Continuing Education Units

3.3.1 Methods of Instruction

Approved methods of instruction for continuing education may include:

  • training related to either general studies or professional studies and presented as a:
    • workshop,
    • lecture,
    • seminar, and/or
    • self-study video, and
  • conferences that are designed to increase professional knowledge and skills related to the practice of interpreting.

3.3.2 Basic Unit of Measurement

CEUs are used to credit certificate holders for certification renewal.

One CEU is defined as 10 contact or clock hours of attendance and participation in an approved continuing education course.

3.3.3 Procedure for Approval

A training event sponsor, an instructor, or a presenter must request DHHS approval and CEU credits for a specific program at least 30 days before the date of the training.

3.3.4 Criteria for Approval

DHHS uses the following criteria to determine whether a training event is approved:

  • a completed Form 3913, Request for Approval of Proposed Training for General and Court Interpreters Continuing Education Units (CEUs);
  • whether the training will be:
    • general studies; or
    • professional studies;
  • a description of the activity;
  • the educational objectives;
  • an action plan;
  • a résumé or description of the instructor's or presenter's:
    • expertise related to the topics or workshops; and
    • formal trainings and workshops attended.

3.3.5 Forms DHHS Sends to the Applicant

After approving a training event, DHHS sends to the training event applicant

  • Form 3914, Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Attendance Sign-in Sheet, for verifying all participants in attendance; the presenter submits the completed form to the DHHS office within 10 business days after the training;
  • Form 3915, Certificate of Attendance, for the certificate holder to keep in his or her certification records; the presenter distributes the certificate to each participant after the participant successfully completes an approved workshop;
  • Form 3916, Sponsor Report, for DHHS's tracking and statistical purposes; the presenter, or person who submitted Form 3913, completes the form and submits it to the DHHS office within 10 business days after the training event is held; and
  • Form 3917, Approval Letter for Proposed Training Request, a letter from DHHS that is sent to the training event applicant.

3.3.6 Certificate Renewal

For information about the requirements and procedure for a certificate holder to renew his or her certificate, see Board for Evaluation of Interpreters, Chapter 4, BEI Interpreter Certification Policies and Procedures, 4.6 Five-Year Certificate Renewal.

For renewal requirements for a court interpreter's certificate, see Board for Evaluation of Interpreters, Chapter 1, Court Interpreter Certification, 1.6 Certification Renewal.

3.4 Certification Records 

3.4.1 The Certificate Holder's Responsibility for Record Keeping

The certificate holders who successfully complete approved workshops or trainings are responsible for their own continuing education records. This includes preserving for five years copies of the certificates received upon completion of an approved workshop or training. The accuracy of a certificate holder's records is subject to verification at any time by DHHS.

3.5 DHHS-Approved Training

DHHS posts a list of approved workshops or training for continuing education of interpreters for the deaf and hard of hearing on the HHS DHHS website. Any continuing education activity must be provided by an approved instructor or presenter. (Note: this will be set up as a tool at a later date.)