Sixteen scholarship recipients have successfully completed the Foundations in Translating and Interpreting course, delivered by Babel International College, Perth. The course comprised four core units of the PSP50916 Diploma of Interpreting (LOTE-English).
The program is jointly funded by the Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI), the Australian Institute of Translators and Interpreters (AUSIT) and the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
Upon completion students are eligible to apply for a relevant NAATI credential free of charge. AUSIT also provided two professional development sessions and membership to students
The successful students are competent in one or more of the following languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese, Dari/Farsi, Karen/Burmese, Japanese, Oromo/Amharic, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
OMI Executive Director, James Jegasothy, said that the program targets specific language groups that are underrepresented in the interpreting profession.
“Interpreters often work to support service access in critical areas such as health, education, legal, social and settlement services, housing and transport.”
“Therefore, it is essential that interpreters receive the highest quality training and are reflective of contemporary needs of the community.”
“The State Language Services Policy 2020 states that State Government Agencies must ensure that the interpreters and translators engaged are tertiary qualified and/ or National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) credentialed.”
For more information contact strategy@omi.wa.gov.au