Newly Appointed QA Chairperson: Tanesh Smith M.A., NIC
As of December 10, 2012, the Board is pleased to announce Tanesh Smith as the newly appointed Chairperson for the QA Committee. Tanesh has been serving on the committee for some time and is diligently working to maintain and improve the status of the QA system. The Board is confident in her orgainizational skills and her dedication to FRID and to serving the members in this capacity. The QA Chairperson position, as supervisor of all aspects of the system, is vital to the screening process. The Board is confident that Tanesh will lead the QA in the right direction and will be a dynamic asset in this position. FRID is always seeking organized, dedicated, team members to assist this process as they work to serve the membership in alignment with the new direction of the QA system. If you are interested in joining Tanesh on the QA committee team or have questions about the QA system, contact her at QA@FRIDcentral.org.
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Florida Quality Assurance Screening (QA)
Originally, the QA screening process was implemented in the state of Florida as a method of determining the interpreting skill level of individuals, who were hired by Vocational Rehabilitation and other state agencies. In 1981, the Florida Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, Inc. (FRID) and Sammie Elser, with the Department of Communicology at the University of South Florida, revised the screening system to monitor the progress of pre-certified interpreters. From 1988 to 1993, the system underwent several revisions; then, from 1997 to the present, additional upgrades/updates have been made to better serve individuals seeking assessment and hiring entities in Florida. The current system is the result of the dedicated and sustained efforts of many people.
The QA is managed by the QA Chairperson with the assistance of the QA committee, a statewide network of trained raters, and local site coordinators who administer the written test and the performance screening. Current testing/assessment sites are located in Delray, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, and Pensacola. The written test and performance screening are conducted on a regular basis with dates and locations listed on the FRID website.
The FRID Quality Assurance screening is a “stepping stone” toward interpreter competence. Receiving a state Quality Assurance Level 1, 2, or 3 qualifies an individual as an apprentice of interpreting who can interpret in limited situations. The Florida QA screening is in no way affiliated with or sanctioned by the national Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID). The national RID evaluation certifies an individual as a professional, certified interpreter and/or transliterator. This certified professional may interpret/transliterate in many types of situations.
