In what year did NCIHC publish the National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care?

• A. 1998
• B. 2010
• C. 2004
• D. 2009

Answer: (C)

The year 2004 marks when NCIHC released the National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care, establishing the ethical framework that guides interpreting practice in healthcare settings. This code sets out essential responsibilities for interpreters—ensuring accuracy and completeness, maintaining confidentiality, remaining impartial, and upholding professional boundaries—while also recognizing the interpreter’s role as a cultural mediator who facilitates understanding between patients and providers. Framing the interpreter as a trusted conduit for information, not a participant in medical decisions, helps protect patient safety and improve communication. That publication date matters because it provided a unified standard that informed subsequent training, supervision, and certification efforts in the field. The other years listed do not reflect when the code was published.