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You have probably seen the badges above on social media or in the email signature of your interpreters.
This post will help you understand what the KUDO badges represent and the difference between them.
The Purpose of Digital Badges
The use of digital badges to certify specific skills and competencies has been around since the early 2000s, but for many the concept is still quite new.
These badges are used to validate an achievement, skill or credential. They usually divide into achievement badges and competency badges.
Achievement badges are awarded upon the completion of one or several milestones or activities. They are transactional in nature. That is, you complete the training, you get the badge. The KUDO Certified badge is an achievement badge issued to any interpreter who:
successfully completes The Interpreter Journey, a self-paced online tutorial introducing the KUDO interpreter interface and the minimum technical requirements for working as an interpreter on KUDO, and
participates in a KUDO Interpreter Onboarding Webinar, where s-he is given the opportunity to interpret live on our platform in a low-stress environment with technical support on stand-by to answer questions and provide assistance.
The KUDO Certified badge acknowledges an interpreter’s completion of a first-step tutorial to familiarize oneself with the platform and its technical requirements. It does not verify one’s identity, linguistic competence or experience as an interpreter.
Competency badges attest to a person’s ability or experience in doing something. They are qualitative in nature. A competency badge is issued once that experience has been verified. The new KUDO Pro badge is a competency badge issued to interpreters who:
have had their interpreter credentials verified by KUDO (interpreting degree, practical experience, and membership to professional associations)
have interpreted at a minimum of 10 meetings on KUDO, and
comply in full with KUDO’s connectivity and technical requirements.
The KUDO Pro badge identifies interpreters who have a greater level of experience on the KUDO platform and who are ready to join a KUDO meeting at a moment’s notice with no additional guidance.
These badges are issued free of charge.
They give clients a quick and reliable way of knowing if an interpreter they are considering has been trained to configure and operate the KUDO interpreter console.
They allow interpreters to objectively showcase their familiarity with our platform and to tell their clients what they are ready to do on KUDO.
Validated by Credly
The badges are validated by Credly. This independent digital credentials network keeps track of the number of badges issued and their expiration date. This provides an independent, transparent authentication to clients and interpreters.
We hope this helps you understand and more easily relate to KUDO’s interpreter badges.