Medical interpreters association goes Japan

The US based International Medical Interpreters Association will open a chapter in Japan. It is an interesting move and the Japanese market seems to try and quickly get organised. An article in the Japan Times was referring a few months ago to the low payment - equivalent to a McDonald's part time job - medical interpreters receive here. There was no indication about how much med interpreters get paid in the US or elsewhere. In Japan, the Japan Association for Health Care Interpreting in English and Japanese is one among other organizations working on the subject. I especially like when cross-continental links are built up in the profession. The liaison interpreting - a category comprising medical but many more scenes - would benefit to have an all specialities kind of association.