Awww, thank you everybody!
Canuckian Chick, the CI is one of two tests in the USA administered by Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, which is our equivalent to AVLIC. The other is the CT. I have both of them now!
CI = Certificate of Interpretation = interpreting between English and ASL
CT = Certificate of Transliteration = interpreting between English and English-based signing, like PSE or Signed English
It is kind of similar to the TOI test given by AVLIC, if you are familiar with that. In the US, having certification opens you up to a lot more jobs. The Americans with Disabilities Act specifies that deaf people must have
qualified interpreters, and a LOT of people use certification to mean qualified. It's easier than everybody having to judge interpreter skills themselves - customers needing interpreters can trust the RID certification as meaning the interpreter is qualified.
And actually, there is a new test now. It is called the NIC and it is different from the CI/CT - there is an interview portion in addition to the written knowledge and signing skill tests. The CI/CT are being phased out and they won't be offered anymore in a couple of years, right now only people who had one already can take them. I already had my CT and now I have the CI as well.
Oh, and a certification is basically permanent. You have to take classes every year to KEEP it, and if you don't take classes then you lose it. But otherwise it is permanent as long as you take the classes.
