Jazmin Manjarrez, CMI-Spanish
Chair of The National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters
Hi everybody. We're back and ready to kick off our 2019 Subject to Interpretation podcast series hosted by Agustin de la Mora. This is our space for professional interpreters to share their stories and advice and discuss current events in the profession and where it's heading. Today we will be interviewing the chair of the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters better known as NBCMI, Jazmin Manjarrez. This highly requested interview will cover last year's hotly debated topic of accreditation and what it means to be NBCMI certified today. So before we jump into this interview, we'd like to talk to you a little bit about some of our new classes that are coming up, including our Intro to Community Interpreting course, which is beginning on April 2nd. This class covers the basics of interpreting in community organizations such as schools, businesses, and recreational institutions. On March 13th we will also begin our Intro to Conference Interpreting, taught by Darinka Mangino, who is a diplomatic interpreter. You may have heard of her for her famous long consecutive skills. Her course will introduce you to conference interpreting, teaching you skills to help grow your opportunities. Additionally, there will be an immigration interpreting course beginning on April 2nd. This course will cover the specific skills and knowledge needed to work in immigration cases. And finally, we will soon open registration for our Accent Reduction course and a Professional Spanish course to brush up on your language skills and vocabulary. To learn more about our upcoming courses, you may visit DELAMORATraining.com or click the links in the description and sign up for our newsletter for flash promotions and special discounts. We appreciate all of you for listening in. We pride ourselves in being one of the very few podcasts for professional interpreters out there, so please share us with all of your colleagues. We would love to hear your feedback and if you have any questions, feel free to contact our office. Now we hope you enjoy this episode.
AD:Hello everyone. This is Agustin de la Mora welcoming you again to our podcast, Subject to Interpretation. As always, we have a guest that is a very interesting and relevant person in the field of interpretation. And I'm going to let her introduce herself. Her name is Jazmin Manjarrez. Welcome Jazmin, how are you doing?
Speaker 1:Fine, thank you. And thank you, Agustin, for having me. So yes, my name is Jazmin Manjarrez, in English or Jazmin Manjarrez en Espanol. Um, and so I'm very happy to be here with you today and like I said, I am the, uh, my position right now is with the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters and I am the chair at the present time. And so I'm very happy to be here with you and to be able to answer any questions that you or your audience may have regarding our certification.
:Well, thanks Jazmin. I should start by saying I myself, I'm a, I'm a CMI. I was certified by your board. And yes, we have a lot of questions about the board and how to get certified and all that, but we wanted to start with you. Why don't tell us a little bit about how you became an interpreter because I'm going to guess that maybe it was like many of us, almost by serendipity. You know, you're absolutely right. So I actually became an interpreter 17 years ago. Back in 2002. I was very unhappy. I worked for a law firm and I, I was just saying'I don't feel fulfilled. I want to find a career where I can go home and feel good about myself.' And um, for about a year I just really didn't know what I wanted to do. And then, um, I answered an ad for interpreting for a company that was just starting and I started interpreting for some schools, and then they referred me to another company that just did medical. And um, they asked me to go interpret for medical and I just fell in love with it. I mean, that same day I just fell in love with it and I immediately wanted to see, you know, where can I find out more information about how to be a medical interpreter?
Speaker 1:And I found some classes at the Portland Community College here in Portland, Oregon. And so I immediately went over there. They have an excellent program, or they did. And so, um, I went and I took the classes so that I knew what I was doing, you know? Um, so back then in 2002, there was not-- training was really not as required as it is nowadays, you know, and of course there was no certification that was being offered or anything like that. But I always felt that, you know, if you embark in any kind of a career, you definitely want to seek out training to know what you're doing. And especially when you're, you know, dealing with, um, with people and, and their medical issues and pretty much you have their lives in your hands, you know? And so you want to know what you're doing and be able to do a good job. So anyway, you know, I started working as a freelance interpreter and then I landed a job at a pediatric clinic. And then I ended up going to, um, one of the major hospitals here in, uh, in Portland, Oregon. And I was there a few years. I learned an incredible amount of things. You know, when I was hired, my boss said, you're going to leave here and you're going to be a doctor by the time you leave here, you're going to learn so much because it's one of the biggest hospitals here. And you just deal with an incredible amount of, uh, situations and, and specialties. And so, anyway, that's my story.
Speaker 2:It's an interesting story, but I think many of our listeners and many of the people that study with us in our school have the same story. They get hooked. They go and help a friend or somebody told them, hey, listen, you know, they're needing interpreters and they do it and they get hooked. I personally think that I have a similar story about how I started with court interpretation myself, but it was the same kind of feeling that, wow, this is awesome. This is what I want to do now. And you mentioned certification and the importance of educating yourself. And I think that, that's an area, I don't know if you agree with me, but that's an area where I think we still have a ways to go; to convince two groups of people, the providers, because most of them are still under the impression that if I can speak another language somehow magically I'm also an interpreter, but also the group, the other group of people, bilingual people that think the same thing. So what, what is your experience about that? Do you still find that a lot? That people think, oh I, I'm bilingual and I can do this tomorrow.
Speaker 1:I find that every single day. You know, every single day you run into somebody that says, oh, but so and so is interpreting for them, and oh look, they're doing a great job. I bet they could be an interpreter! And I'm listening to their English or their Spanish, right, and I'm thinking, yeah, I don't think so, you know? But of course, you know, you have to be polite and not say anything, you know, or when doctors want to practice their English, we all run into that, right? Um, what, what I found, you know, to do, because sometimes they'll say, no, no, no, no, you know, just let me practice my English. And you just want to tell them I'm sorry, but they're not here for you to practice your English. So I found a very clever way, and I said, well, I need to inform the patient so that the patient can make the decision, you know, and, uh, and I made it and they look at me and they're like, what? And I ask the, you know, the patients, are you comfortable with the doctor practicing his English? And most of the time they will say no.
:Or his Spanish, or whatever the language? Yeah, that's right, his Spanish, you're right. And so, uh, when the doctor hears that he has no choice but to speak in English so that I can interpret. So I, you know, got that little trick. Now that I do that, because you run into so many of them that want to practice their Spanish, you know, and it's like, that is not acceptable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, I know. I know that that's, that's an issue that we have to explain pretty much every time we start the process. And, uh, I dunno if it also happens to you or has happened to you, that you have this other battle of doctors and nurses saying, whoa, you know,'Johnny here has been interpreting for us for a long time and he's very good.' Oh yeah. Then you go like, wow, so you speak Spanish or you can, or Chinese, whatever it is. Well no. Then it's interesting how they could evaluate the Johnny is doing very well when they don't know what Johnny is saying.
Speaker 1:Exactly. And you know, I've ran into a lot of interpreters that have surely have been interpreting for a very long time, and I listened to them and they're still interpreting as third person rather than the first person. Right. Or, you know, they are not delivering the message the way it's supposed to be. Um, they're just really, um, paraphrasing. And, they think that they're doing a good job because they've been doing this for a long time. And you know, this is why training is so important and just sort of education is so important because you know, those certification programs are not easy. I mean, you took our test, you know. For someone who does a great job, it's an easy test. For someone who doesn't, you know, it's a hard test. And I've heard both ends, you know, people say it's a really hard test, and people say it's a really easy test. Some people say it's a really easy test, so it depends on, you know, where you are. Um, but it's still good to be tested and you know, and a lot of people say, but I passed this test or I passed that test. But that is not a certification exam. A certification exam is going to be more rigorous and they're going to really look at everything. Your proficiency, you know, um, your skills in interpreting, your medical terminology, knowledge in both languages. So it's not, yeah, you passed this test, but that doesn't mean you're going to pass our tests, you know?
Speaker 2:Right. And then you mentioned two things that I think I want to know. First of all, I guess we should also emphasize that the good news is that more and more people are getting trained and pursuing certification.
:Absolutely. And we're going to talk about that, uh, in a moment, but I also wanted you to talk to us a little bit about what you just said about people saying'well I passed this test because you know, I work for XYZ company and they tested me' or people who go on and take training and get a certificate of attendance and then say, I am certified. Have you found that to be true, too?
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely. You know, this is why, um, you know, uh, I'm also a trainer, and so, when I train interpreters, you know, one of the things I say is when you are done with this class, you will get a certificate. But this does not mean that you are now certified. You have to go through the process of certification, you know, and I explained to them and I explained that there are two organizations that certify. Because as a trainer, I have to, uh, you know, I have to give all the information to my, to my students and not, you know, prefer one over the other. So I do that. And, um, and I explained, you know, I said so many people feel that when they have this class, that they will be certified, and that is not true. You know? And I mean, I have run into doctors, because at this hospital where I was working at, they actually had classes that they gave to, to incoming residents and things like that. And then they would look at me and say, Oh, but I'm certified. I'm like, and how did you become certified? Oh, well I took this class, you know, that, that, you know, this hospital offers and now I'm certified. And I'm like, no, you're not. You know? So there is a difference between having a certificate and a certification. They're two totally different things.
Speaker 2:Right. And then you mentioned these two organizations and you happened to be, uh, in a position in the board, I think, and you're going to tell us a of one of them, which is NBCMI. So why don't you tell us first of all, what does NBCMI mean? And then what's your position there? And tell us a little bit about it.
Speaker 1:Okay. Well the NBCMI is a short for the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters. And I happen to be the chair of the organization. Um, and we have our board of directors. We have anywhere from 10 to 12 board of directors, including the chair and a vice chair, and a secretary. Basically our organization-- we are a nationwide organization that offers certification. And we were the first organization that offered medical certification to interpreters nationwide. And as a matter of fact, this year, we are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Isn't that amazing? I, I'm very, very proud of our organization. And, um, and so, you know, what we want to emphasize is, you know, what we do is we organize, we oversee, and promote a national medical interpreter certification program in six languages. And so the, the CMI credential, you know, it's an entry level certification for medical interpreters, and you know, we want to make sure that they are tested on their ethics, their Standards of Practice, their role boundaries, their terminology, their language proficiency.
Speaker 2:Right, right. And, I think it's important to mention to our listeners that it's an entry level. Cause also, I often tell my students after you get your certification, consider that your commencement, right? Beginning, you're not really a seasoned, a certified interpreter. You're starting in the profession. And from there on you should continue to acquire more knowledge and practice, and continue to apply what you have learned in order to become a CMI. So you mentioned that there's six languages that are certified by the NBCMI. Could you tell us which languages are those?
Speaker 1:Sure, absolutely. We have the, of course, Spanish, and we have Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Vietnamese, and Korean.
Speaker 2:And obviously those languages were decided based on a number of requests, you think? By hospitals or population? How did you guys come up with that?
Speaker 1:It was by populations, by demographics, and saying, okay, what are the most used languages nationwide, you know? Um, so yeah, that's how it was decided.
Speaker 2:Okay. And then, uh, now that we know that NBCMI exists, NBCMI, and that people can become CMIs, you did mention that there's another organization, I think it's CCHI, is that correct?
:That is correct, yes. And then other people can be certified to CCHI. But let's focus on CMI. So, if I want to be a certified interpreter as a CMI in one of those six languages, what's the path that I have to follow?
Speaker 1:Okay, well the first thing you need to do is visit our website and register. And then you also need to submit all of the paperwork, all the prerequisites that we require. You know, one of the prerequisites is a 40 hour training course. And, um, you know, even if you are a doctor that wants to go and become a certified medical interpreter, we still require that you take a 40 hour training class, and we will not budge on that. You know, and then they said, but we were a doctor and I'm like, nope, you still need to be, you still need to take the interpreter training class. You know? And then of course when they do, they realize, Oh God, there's so much to learn, you know? And then of course we require language proficiency. On both languages, not just English, but you know, the target language.
Speaker 2:And how can, let's say, how do I prove to you that I am proficient in English?
Speaker 1:Well, if you went to school here, for example, okay, um, you would have a high school diploma, or you would have, you know, your, if you went to college, you would have a college degree. Um, if you are not a native that, you know, you came to this country after being in your country, and you are now an adult or whatever, you know, there are several exams that you can take, um, that are offered like the TOEFL and things like that. And there's a whole list on our website of everything that we accept. You know, and I got to tell you a little story. I was born in Mexico, but I was raised in the United States, but I, you know, I speak, um, 100% fluency in Spanish, but I had no way of proving my fluency when I went to become a certified interpreter. So I had to, um, take a tes t, you know, so that I could prove that my proficiency was at a high level. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Did you take one of those OPI's?
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I mean, it wasn't, well, the state of Oregon requires, um, you go to their website and they will tell you which of the two organizations-- they have two organizations-- that, um, they will accept for testing for language proficiency. So I took one of those and uh, and then of course I had to prove to them that I had taken it, and that was part of my requisites, too, for the CMI credential when I went to take it.
Speaker 2:So let's talk a little bit about, uh, your website, because we've heard stories, good and not so good, about the website being easy to navigate, not so easy to navigate, easy to communicate, not so easy to communicate. What is, what do you think?
Speaker 1:You know, it's really, um, we think that it's organized and that it's, um, we actually redid our website not too long ago. I mean, I'm talking probably like in the last two or three years. Um, and we felt that it is organized, and that it is easy to navigate, but there are some people you know, that are not computer savvy. And so for those people, I think it's a little more difficult. You know, I can tell you that I have friends that call me and they're like, I don't know what to do.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I visited the website myself. And I think that it is quite clear how to get through it. And, and maybe when you say the con-- how about the contact us section? We can only contact people through email. Is that correct?
Speaker 1:That is correct, yes. Because you know, our staff is actually, um, they work from home. And, um, they're in different states. Right. And so their hours are different because of the different states.
Speaker 2:Right. And I think, I think that for, you know, dating myself, my generation, we feel a little uncomfortable when we can't actually pick up the phone and talk to somebody. And I think that, that's probably some of the blow back that we get about it.'Well, you know, we can't call them on the phone,' but the truth is that, uh, the trend now in many situations is that there's no longer contact over the phone with many organizations, but that you can contact them through email and that works just as well.
Speaker 1:Yes, I believe so. And I mean, um, I know since I have been chair that I have focused on our customer service, you know, want our staff to be able to immediately answer someone, um, or at least acknowledge that they have received their email, you know, because we all want to be acknowledged, you know? And then that they are immediately-- that they respond in a very timely manner. That's very important to me. And I have, you know, emphasized customer service to our staff because I feel it's very important.
Speaker 2:Right. And I think that one of the things that I wanted you to help us understand and clarify, because there's some confusion among people, if there is any link between IMIA and NBCMI and why? Because it seems that people think they're interchangeable, and I think that, that might be part of the problem.
Speaker 1:Okay. Well let me explain what the IMIA is-- so you know what the IMIA is, right? The International Medical Interpreter Association and they are an international organization. They were actually the first organization, um, to start talking about certification. They were founded back in 1986 and in 1987 they actually published the very first code of ethics for medical interpreters. So they've been around for a long time and they were part of the pioneering, you know, um, towards medical certification. The National Board was founded in 2009 and, um, we became part of, or an independent division of, the IMIA. So we are an independent division of the IMIA, which I feel actually, is not, you know, people seem to think, oh, that's a bad thing. I don't see it as a bad thing. I actually see it as a wonderful thing because we are a division of an international organization that focuses specifically on medical interpreters. Now they have membership. And you know, like any organization like the NCIHC or you know, any local organization for interpreters, they are always going to have membership, and they're going to have, you know, people, um, paying their dues, their membership dues. But that is separate from us. Okay. We have nothing to do with that, because also, the IMIA is actually the one that approves all of the workshops for conferences or just for, you know, if you're going to give a class or whatever, to provide the CEU's for that continuing education that is required for the recertification of the credential. So that is what they do. And they do that separately from us as well. Because that is the way it's supposed to be. That is the way that--we cannot, you know, oversee that. We can just say we will accept the CEU's. And you know, prior, um, I think a couple years ago, uh, let's see, at the beginning of January of last year, we changed how we were going to accept CEU's as the National Board, because we wanted to ensure that the standards were high and our certification is medical. And so we need to look at workshops that you are taking-- workshops that are specific to medical, you know? And so when we were accepting CEU's from other organizations, we really, you know, weren't sure just how strict are-- you know, did they really meet all of the qualifications and whatnot? You know, I mean it was done by the ATA, or CCHI, or Washington state, you know, DSHS, and things like that. So then we finally, we made the decision that we were going to accept IMIA CEU's because we know what our standards are, and we look, or the IMIA looks at the workshops, and they determine and say, okay, this meets the standards, this does not meet the standards. For example, if somebody wants to take a class, um, for accounting, how am I going to do my accounting for my business, you know, that's an interpreting business. That doesn't necessarily mean it's medical, you know, it's not medical education. So we would probably say no to that workshop. Or they would say, no, I'm sorry, to that workshop. But you know, we want to make sure that it is specific to medical, because that is, like you said earlier, you know, um, once you become a certified interpreter, it doesn't end there. You have to continue that education and you have to continue your skills and how you're going to do that is by going to these workshops and learning about medical, you know?
Speaker 2:Yeah. And thank you. And I think that that's an important distinction and that might be a little bit about why people get a little lost because they're trying to get certified on the IMIA side, and they just don't understand that IMIA doesn't certify people, so I'm glad you clarified it for us. Um, I wanted to ask you, being where you are right now and where you've been as an interpreter, what is your advice for people who want to be medical interpreters? What would be the most important thing that you'd say'this is the first thing you have to do'?
:Training... And then training and then after that, some more training.(Laughs) Training and certification. Okay. Those to me are very, very important. I think education is extremely important no matter what field you go into. Education is very important. Um, so yes, you do need to go in and get your training and then get certified. I mean, I had a, an interpreter, that was a Farsi interpreter in my class, taking the training because in Oregon they require training, right? For their state certification. And so, um, her first day in class, she goes,'I don't know what I'm doing here. This is ridiculous. You know, what am I going to learn? I've been doing this for a long time.' And she went on and on and on and on.
Speaker 1:And you know, everybody kind of just looked at her and within just a few weeks, she had completely changed and said, and was promoting, you know, training to all the interpreters and saying,'I have learned so much.' You know, and that's the difference that people don't understand, how much you really are going to learn when you go to a training class, you know? Um, because there are so many things that you don't even think about or realize if you're not going into this training to get the skills that you need. And you know, language proficiency is also very important because that is something that, um, you know, you need to be able to understand the doctor, and you need to be able to, um, if you are coming, say, from Vietnam, you need to be able to understand what the doctor is saying. And the doctor needs to understand what you're saying, too, right?
:Exactly. So language proficiency is very, very important. So sometimes you just need to work on those skills, as well, and take, you know, English classes if, if you need to or take Spanish classes if you're an American wanting to be, you know, a Spanish interpreter, or you know, any other languages. So, you know, training is very important. And of course certification would be the ultimate, because that lets providers know that you are a professional and that you know the protocols. And let me tell you, I mean, you know, this certification, and the testing, and the training, and all of that. You know, the, the ACAC, section 1557 and the joint commission, you know, they, um, when they define a qualifying interpreter, it's a competent interpreter that can interpret in both languages. That demonstrates language proficiency in both languages and interpreting skills in both languages. So all of our six languages we offer, they test on both of those. In other words, they test both languages, not just one, you know, and that's what the requirement is. Under that, that federal law, you know, of the ACA, and the joint commission as well. So out of every part of our certification.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I was thinking about that from the point of view of somebody who took the test, I think it was well rounded. It was challenging, but it was good. And I felt that it was actually helping me understand, this is what I'm going to be facing on a regular basis. So I should be prepared for it. Not only from the linguistic point of view, but also, if I'm faced with a situation where I have to make a decision based on the code of ethics or on protocol, and from simple things, like you said, speaking in the first person, to a lot more, uh, complicated things about should I say something in this case or not?
Speaker 1:You know, how do you do advocacy? Many interpreters tend to do advocacy beyond their role or boundary. Yes. That is not something that we're supposed to do. And they need to understand our code of ethics and our Standards of Practice, that's very important. And that's, you know, again, what we focus on the exams, you know, on the written exam, 61%, we focus on medical knowledge, and then 15% on our code of ethics, you know, and then the remainder is cultural awareness, and the legislation and regulations because that's also very important, you know? The class standards, you know, the ACA, all these things are very important. You need to understand them. Right? Um, and then of course in the oral language proficiency, you know, um, medical terminology in both languages, not just one, you know? And then consecutive interpreting.
Speaker 2:Right. And I agree that certification is very important, but we've heard some rockers in some run run about, well, you know, how come NBCMI is no longer certified, to certify? Why don't you talk to us about that, because I don't think that, that's accurate?
Speaker 1:You're right. It is not. Okay. You know, there was a huge misconception, and people were speculating when we made the decision to not do the accreditation for the Spanish program. So the accreditation was only for the Spanish program. It was not for the organization itself. So, and it was, you know, we made a determination, for example, to bring all of our languages to the same supported structure and protocol, not just have Spanish up in one and then the other languages further down. So we wanted to bring them all together. Um, and really what accreditation does, or actually what it does not do. Um, they do not look at the contents of the test at all. Okay. So they actually have no way of knowing how easy or how rigorous the test is, and whether it meets the qualifications for the industry standard. Um, what it does, it does look at the processes. Um, and what the NCCA does is they look at the processes of all the different organizations that they accredit or, or the programs that they accredit within the organizations. I mean, they accredit crane operators, automotive professionals, and respiratory therapists. Um, so how, how do you accredit that vast variety of organizations? Because you're only looking at the processes. You're not looking at at the exam. So anyway, you know, due to that many people speculated that the credential was not valid, but that's not, you know, that couldn't be further from the truth. I mean, our credential was validated by a third party, which was PSI and it was developed through a comprehensive job analysis, and a group of industry stakeholders, and subject matter experts. So, you know, our credential continues to be a very valid certification. Um, you know, and again, like I said, it meets the qualifications or the requirements of the federal ACAC section and the commissions.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And I, I think that, I'm glad you talked about that, and to reassure people that nobody kicked me to the curb and said I'm no longer a certified medical interpreter. I know I still am. And I worked hard to get that certification and you worked hard to put it together, and I think that, that still stands. So let's just talk a little bit about the future because we have a few minutes left and I wanted to, you know, I don't want to take the rest of your afternoon, but I wanted you to talk to us a little bit about what do you see as a future medical interpreter? How, who is that person? What do they look like? Not physically, obviously, but what are their characteristics?
Speaker 1:You know, one of my biggest, biggest things for me is what are they going to look like in the future? Professional. Okay, very professional. You're going to dress professionally, you're going to be very courteous and very knowledgeable in the job that you do. Okay. Uh, because, you know, sadly many people still look at the interpreter as, ah, she's just the interpreter, you know, or yeah, we're going to use you as an interpreter, you know? And I really want the medical profession to recognize the certified interpreters, because we actually do tremendous work. You know, we add a lot of value to that encounter. And without us, they would not be able to do what they do. But in order to have the medical profession look at us as professionals, we have to act as professionals. We have to become certified, we have to know, you know, how to act in certain situations, because we have a code of ethics. And we, you know, many interpreters will, um, kind of back down if a provider says to them, um, don't interpret what I'm going to say. You know, a professional interpreter will not accept that. A professional interpreter will say, my job is to interpret everything that's said in the room, you know? And so that is what I want for the future of medical interpreting. You know, I really want everybody to embrace the training, to embrace the professionalism, um, to tell themselves I am a professional interpreter and to stand up to a provider if need be, because you know that you have a code of ethics you need to follow and a Standards of Practice you need to follow.
Speaker 2:Well, Jazmin, I really appreciate your time and your candor, and sorry to put you through the tough questions.(Laughs) It was important. Because I know many of our students and listeners will go, okay, so what's up with that or what? So I'm glad that you clarified it for us. Thank you for giving us some time and uh, we can now send everybody to your new redesigned website and get them certified, right?
Speaker 1:Absolutely. And you know, um, I am also very open as the chair, and I said it because I really care about customer service. I always am available to anyone who wants to send me an email directly and say, you know, I have this issue or whatever's happening, you know? And my email address is on the website, as well, so anyone can reach out to me, and I'm happy to help them because, you know, customer service, like I said, it's very important and we need to be able to help all of our interpreters.
Speaker 2:Okay. Well thank you very much for that. And we'll uh, we'll close with this, unless you have any extra comments before we close the session.
Speaker 1:Nope, no, other comments. Oh yeah, one more thing! Yes, absolutely. We offer certification year round, by the way, that's very important for everybody to know that we do offer certification year round. And we actually even offer it in the convenience of your own home. So if anyone who wants to get certified, you know, many people get that test anxiety thing, you know, and feel perhaps more comfortable at home. And so we actually do offer that testing at home. And so it helps a little bit with that test anxiety. And again, you don't have to wait. You can, year round, you know, um, it's when you can test, whenever you're ready, you're able to test.
Speaker 2:This is perfect. I'm glad you mentioned that, because I remember when I took the test some time ago, you had to go to a place to go take the exam, both the written and the oral, but now you can do it at home if you wish. Right? Thankfully technology came to our aid and people can do it from the comfort of their own house. So no test anxiety. They can have their coffee right next to them and just have a nice experience. All right, well thanks a lot Jazmin. Um, I'm sure we'll see each other around in one of those many conferences that we have around the country.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. I think I saw you. I actually did come up to you once and introduce myself at one of the conferences. I just don't remember which one.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the club; I'm going to have a whole session on talking about prosopagnosia, or some condition that I have about not recognizing people's faces. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!(Laughs) Okay. Thank you very much. We'll see you around. Thanks again.
:You're welcome. Thank you. Bye. Bye.
Speaker 3:Thank you again for joining us today. Next week will be interviewing John Botero, who is the program manager with the Administrative Office of the courts in Georgia. So we look forward to seeing event.