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My Key Takeaways: The CCHI Global Healthcare Interpreter Workforce Survey Report

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The recent Global Workforce Survey of Healthcare Interpreters, conducted by the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI, 2025), offers a fascinating and critical look at the professionals working in our field. As I reviewed the data, several key findings stood out to me, shaping my understanding of who we are, how we work, and where the gaps in our industry knowledge lie. These are my personal key takeaways from the report:

1. The Dynamic Geographic and Linguistic Landscape

The survey demonstrated a broad geographic reach, with respondents hailing from 46 states, the District of Columbia, and other countries (CCHI, 2025, pp. 7-8). This wide scope is crucial because I know that interpreting practices, standards, and even regulations can differ significantly from state to state and country to country. Within this diversity, the data showed a clear concentration: California was the state with the most respondents (CCHI, 2025, p. 7), contributing to the finding that the Western region was the most represented overall (CCHI, 2025, p. 7).

Linguistically, the data reflects what we already know about market demand: the majority of respondents were Spanish interpreters (CCHI, 2025, p. 9). However, nearly 30% of US-based interpreters selected languages other than Spanish (CCHI, 2025, p. 9) which suggests that our interpreting network of US-based interpreters is expanding to a wider array of linguistic communities.

2. Native vs. Heritage Speakers: A Personal Observation

A demographic breakdown that personally resonated with me concerns how we acquired our non-English language skills. The report indicates that a substantial 77% of respondents are native speakers of their non-English working language (CCHI, 2025, p. 9). Conversely, only 7% identified as heritage speakers of the non-English language (CCHI, 2025, p. 9).

As a heritage speaker myself, I know this group often faces a unique set of linguistic challenges, which can sometimes include gaps in academic vocabulary or formal register despite a deep cultural connection to the language. This small percentage highlights the need for tailored support for individuals like me as we pursue professionalization.

Note: Research suggests that heritage speakers often experience particular linguistic implications and language command difficulties that differ from those of native or second-language learners in professional settings, which is an area that interpreter education is still grappling with:

Resource: Challenges and opportunities for heritage language learners in interpreting courses in the U.S. context

3. Training and Professional Development

The survey provides critical insight into the level of professional training. The data shows that the mean (average) hours of training in healthcare interpreting is 188.8 hours (CCHI, 2025, p. 17), while the median is 100 hours (CCHI, 2025, p. 17). This suggests a wide range of training backgrounds, with some individuals having significantly more professional development than others.

Looking at the structure of this training, the most common paths were:

  • Completing a 40-60-hour interpreter training course through a private company (37.7% of respondents) (CCHI, 2025, p. 17).

  • Completing multiple individual workshops, webinars, or courses totaling more than 40 hours (32.0% of respondents) (CCHI, 2025, p. 17).

Another notable finding is related to training levels based on employment status: Staff interpreters report a higher average number of training hours (267.2 hours, with a median of 120 hours) (CCHI, 2025, p. 17) compared to freelancers (126.2 hours, with a median of 100 hours) (CCHI, 2025, p. 17). This disparity suggests that one barrier to training may be economic. When freelancers train, not only do they have to pay their own enrollment fees, but they also have to forego the potential to earn income while being trained. 

4. Employment Dynamics and The Unseen Global Workforce

The survey shows a professional landscape that is characterized by a balance between staff and freelance roles, with freelancers (46.1%) (CCHI, 2025, p. 10) being slightly more prevalent than staff interpreters in a healthcare organization (33.2%) (CCHI, 2025, p. 10). While the difference in number is not vast, the data on location, in conjunction with work modality, reveals a crucial gap in our understanding of the entire workforce serving the US market.

The survey found that nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of freelance interpreters reside in the US (CCHI, 2025, p. 8). When we consider the survey also captures the growing trend of remote interpreting across all modalities (VRI, OPI, etc.), which has accelerated industry-wide, this statistic becomes highly suggestive.

The fact that the vast majority of our respondents are US-based suggests that the survey has missed a substantial segment of the international, non-US-based workforce that is actively serving the US market almost exclusively through remote services. This underrepresentation limits our ability to accurately gauge the true global scale and characteristics of all interpreters serving US-based patients.

Note: Some trends related to hospitals switching from staff interpreters to virtual interpreters have been featured in the news:

Resource: South Shore University Hospital ends in-person Spanish interpretation services

Resource: MetroWest Medical Center moves to end live interpreter services and lays off staff  

Bibliography

Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters - CCHI. (2025). The Global Workforce Survey of Healthcare Interpreters. Washington, DC: Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters.

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