Certifications from Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf (RID)

Please see here for more information regarding these older certifications. Currently, RID is only offering the NIC test. These tests are still considered active for those who have passed these tests and continue to be RID members in good standing. If you are interested in pursuing certification through RID, we recommend you click on the NIC tab.

Certifications Offered Prior to the NIC:

Older Certifications Offered:

CI (Certificate of Interpretation): Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in Interpretation and have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English in both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign.
CT (Certificate of Transliteration): Holders of this certificate are recognized as fully certified in Transliteration and have demonstrated the ability to transliterate between English-based sign language and spoken English in both sign-to-voice and voice-to-sign.
CI and CT (Certificate of Interpretation and Certificate of Transliteration): Holders of both full certificates (as listed above) have demonstrated competence in both interpretation and transliteration. Note: The RID CI and CT tests are now only available to persons who have taken the Generalist Written Test as of 2004. Candidates will have five years from that date to take the CI and/or the CT test.
SC:L (Specialist Certificate: Legal): Holders of this specialist certificate have demonstrated specialized knowledge of legal settings and greater familiarity with language used in the legal system. Generalist certification and documented training and experience is required prior to sitting for this exam. Holders of the SC:L are recommended for a broad range of assignments in the legal setting. This test is currently available.
OTC (Oral Transliteration Certificate): Holders of this generalist certificate have demonstrated, using silent oral techniques and natural gestures, the ability to transliterate a spoken message from a person who hears to a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing and the ability to understand and repeat the message and intent of the speech and mouth movements of the person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing. This test is currently available.

IC (Interpretation Certificate): Holder of this partial certificate demonstrated ability to interpret between American Sign Language and spoken English. The IC is no longer offered.
TC (Transliteration Certificate): Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated the ability to transliterate between spoken English and a signed code for English. The TC is no longer offered.
IC/TC (Interpretation Certificate/Transliteration Certificate): Holders of this partial certificate demonstrated ability to transliterate between English and a signed code for English and the ability to interpret between American Sign Language and spoken English. The IC/TC is no longer offered.
CSC (Comprehensive Skills Certificate): Holders of this full certificate have demonstrated the ability to interpret between American Sign Language and spoken English and to transliterate between spoken English and a English-based sign language. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. The CSC examination was offered until 1987. This test is no longer offered.
MCSC (Master Comprehensive Skills Certificate): The MCSC examination was designed with the intent of testing for a higher standard of performance than the CSC. Holders of this certificate were required to hold the CSC prior to taking this exam. Holders of this certificate are recommended for a broad range of interpreting and transliterating assignments. This certificate is no longer offered.

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