From your National President
Esteemed Members, Colleagues:
2025 has been a busy year for AUSIT.
In this last newsletter for 2025, I wanted to take the time to acknowledge what we have achieved this year, both in the work of the National Council and across our many Branches and other Committees.
I will also be announcing some important publications, including the release of the AUSIT Position Statement on AI in Translation and Interpreting and the AUSIT Guidelines for Interpreters Signing Legal Documents.
Before I do that, I would like to remind members that the Working Group for the Revision of the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct are still interested in hearing the views of AUSIT members. I urge all members to complete this anonymous electronic questionnaire.
The questionnaire takes 10 minutes to complete and will be open until 31 December 2025.
Your responses will inform the Working Group in making revisions for the third edition of the code. Don’t miss this chance as a member to make your voice heard.
National Council 2025
AUSIT‘s National Council (NC) is made up of 14 elected volunteer positions.
This includes the seven positions of the NC Executive, plus seven Branch-appointed Directors (formerly known as Branch Delegates) across Australia.
Some of the achievements of the National Council this year include:
- monthly meetings that were robust, productive and highly responsive to members’ needs
- engagement with NAATI on various priorities, including detailed submissions to NAATI on the LSP Endorsement Model, reporting fraudulent claims of NAATI credentials, and advocating when agencies have refused NAATI digital stamps
- publication of a Joint Statement with Professionals Australia on the differences and shared ground between our respective organisations
- lengthy consultation with practitioners on membership in the International Federation of Translators (FIT), followed by an electronic vote that confirmed majority support for AUSIT to remain a FIT member
- presidential visits to the NSW Branch in Sydney (January), QLD Branch in Brisbane (February and May) and TAS Branch in Hobart (June) to deliver bespoke PD sessions on legal T&I and social events to discuss AUSIT‘s strategic vision
- representation of AUSIT at this year’s New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters (NZSTI) Conference in Wellington in September
- AUSIT‘s 38th Annual General Meeting, which elected (and re-elected) all positions on the National Council for another year and passed two Special Resolutions to clarify the objects of AUSIT‘s Constitution and change AUSIT’s legal structure from an incorporated association to a company limited by guarantee.
I hope you will join me in thanking my colleagues on the National Council for their hard work and dedication this year.
For more information on the achievements of the National Council, members may review the National President‘s Report filed under ‘Governance Documents’ in the members-only section of the AUSIT website (click on ‘National AGMs’).
AUSIT Committees 2025
There are 13 committee categories within AUSIT, covering various portfolios – Professional Development, Communications, Ethics, Branches, and many others.
Some of the achievements of AUSIT‘s committees this year include:
- delivering over 70 high-quality professional development and social events across Australia that brought translators and interpreters together to learn, share stories and make new connections (Branches, PD Committee)
- signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with NAATI, in which NAATI has committed funding for 30 free professional development events to be delivered by AUSIT from July 2025 to June 2027 (PD Committee)
- development of an AUSIT Communications Review & Strategic Roadmap (2025–28) based on expert advice that will guide the transformation of AUSIT‘s communications in the years ahead (Comms Committee)
- publication of four issues of AUSIT’s award-winning
magazine, In Touch (Editorial Committee, In Touch magazine) - commencement of the revision of the AUSIT Codes of Ethics and Code of Conduct with financial support from public stakeholders (EPPC)
- detailed submissions voicing the needs and interests of translators and interpreters to various external stakeholders, including during the Victorian Multicultural Review in July, and to various courts, tribunals and government departments on improving adherence to the RNS (Advocacy Committee)
- four active Language Divisions that were officially formed with Terms of Reference approved by the National Council: Spanish, German, Portuguese and Arabic
- the 38th AUSIT National Conference, held in Canberra in November this year, attended by 376 people and featuring 72 sessions across six diversified tracks (Conference Organising Committee).
A big thank you to all members who have contributed to the success of AUSIT‘s committees this year.
For more information on the achievements of AUSIT‘s Committees (including Branches), members may review the relevant reports filed under ‘Governance Documents’ in the members-only section of the AUSIT website (again, click on ‘National AGMs’).
Questions or comments about AUSIT‘s Language Divisions should be directed to me at president@ausit.org.
AUSIT Membership 2025
AUSIT has 1,927 members based on the latest membership report as of 30 September 2025. This is an increase of 47 from the same time last year.
Since the end of the 2024–25 membership year, i.e., 30 June 2025, 509 members have not renewed their membership.
For more information, members may review the National Secretary’s Annual Report filed under ‘Governance Documents’ in the members-only section of the AUSIT website.
Questions or comments about AUSIT‘s membership should be directed to our National Secretary Dr Miranda Lai at secretary@ausit.org.
We would be particularly interested in any ideas members might have about how AUSIT can better grow its membership base while retaining existing members.
AUSIT Finances 2025
AUSIT‘s financial position remained strong this year.
Between 2024 and 2025, total revenue from ordinary activities reached $401,580. This represents a 41.2% increase compared to $284,313 in the previous year.
Meanwhile, total expenditure decreased slightly, dropping from $372,579 to $369,911.
This resulted in a surplus of $31,669, a significant improvement from last year’s deficit of $88,266. Moreover, AUSIT continues to have sufficient cash reserves to sustain its operations in the event of a deficit.
For more information on AUSIT‘s finances, members may review the National Treasurer’s Annual Report filed under ‘Governance Documents’ in the members-only section of the AUSIT website.
Questions or comments about AUSIT‘s financial position should be directed to our National Treasurer Dr Han Xu at treasurer@ausit.org.
We would be particularly interested in any ideas members might have about how AUSIT can reduce its operational costs while raising income streams.
AUSIT Position Statement on AI in Translation and Interpreting
I am thrilled to announce the release of the AUSIT Position Statement on AI in Translation and Interpreting, developed by the Ethics and Professional Practice Committee (EPPC) with input from relevant stakeholders.
The Position Statement is an important document for T&I practitioners, for users of T&I services, for language services providers, for NAATI as the national credentialling authority, and for the language services sector as a whole.
It focuses on current national guidelines on the use of AI at the workplace in general, and on national and state/territory guidelines that relate to AI as well as machine translation and machine interpreting.
It gives an overview of what AI is, how it works, and what is currently known about its quality of output.
The position statement deals with AI in relation to translation, sign language interpreting and spoken language interpreting for both Indigenous languages and ‘transposed’ ones used in Australia.
Priority is given to describing and examining the text types encountered by translators, types of spoken and sign messages that interpreters commonly encounter working in Australia, and how amenable AI is to use in these situations and settings.
AUSIT Guidelines for Interpreters Signing Legal Documents
I am also pleased to officially announce the release of another initiative of the EPPC – the AUSIT Guidelines for Interpreters Signing Legal Documents.
A paper copy of the AUSIT Guidelines for Interpreters Signing Legal Documents was made available to all who attended the AUSIT National Conference in November.
AUSIT will send out these guidelines to relevant state/territory bodies that often require interpreters to sign a declaration about the accuracy and completeness of their interpretations and how they interacted with the non-English-speaking service user.
AUSIT also invites members to supply the electronic link to legal or healthcare entities that they work with, so that these bodies are aware of best practice standards, to assist them in working optimally with interpreters.
These guidelines inform interpreters about points to consider when they are asked to sign an ‘interpreter’s statement’ or an ‘interpreter’s declaration’ in a legal setting (e.g., preparation of legal documents such as wills, powers of attorney, administration, guardianship, state trustee documents) or in healthcare settings (e.g., patient consent forms).
The guidelines give examples of optimal and non-optimal statements, and make suggestions for situations in which an interpreter is asked to sign a declaration that has wording that differs from what they actually did in the interaction.
The guidelines conclude by alerting interpreters to certain points when they are asked to sign a legal document as a witness.
CEATL-EWC Joint Letter on Amazon's ‘Kindle Translate’
I would like to draw members’ attention to an important joint letter published by the European Council of Literary Translators’ Associations (CEATL) and the European Writers’ Council (EWC) following Amazon’s recent announcement of Kindle Translate, a tool claiming to translate books ‘at the click of a button.’
As you can imagine, this development raises serious concerns for translators and authors around the world, well beyond Europe.
The joint letter outlines these concerns clearly, and I believe it is important for all AUSIT members to be aware of it.
I encourage you to share it within your own networks, as it provides a timely and well-argued position on an issue that affects our entire profession.
FCFCOA Practice Direction on Working with Interpreters
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has released a new Practice Direction on working with interpreters, effective 1 December 2025.
This Practice Direction has been developed with regard to the Recommended National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals, which were spearheaded by AUSIT Past President Professor Sandra Hale.
I believe this is a significant step forward for accessibility and fairness in the federal courts.
The Practice Direction covers interpreter engagement and use across both FCFCOA Division 1 and Division 2.
It ensures parties and witnesses whose first language isn’t English receive consistent support throughout proceedings.
Lawyers must promptly notify the court when an interpreter is required for a party or witness. And are responsible for arranging interpreters who meet the required standards of competence and impartiality.
Lawyers must follow all procedural steps outlined in the Practice Direction – including any pre-hearing requirements and confirming interpreter details – and must ensure interpreters understand the court’s expectations regarding confidentiality and neutrality.
I am hopeful that this Practice Direction will strengthen access to justice for culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
On behalf of all court interpreters working in Australia, I welcome this announcement and have urged my colleagues in law to familiarise themselves with the Practice Direction.
You can read our Advocacy Committee’s Chair Patricia Avila’s article on the new Practice Direction in the December issue of In Touch magazine, which I hear is coming out any day now.
A few other things I’d like to pass on, as my President’s Newsletter is taking the place of the AUSIT Community News this month:
AUSIT Mentoring Program 2026: Mentors Needed – Program Opens Soon
Our National Education Coordinator Nicola Thayil would like me to remind you that AUSIT runs a mentoring program every year. Past mentors and mentees all attest to the value of the program, which depends on experienced T&I practitioner members volunteering to mentor their emerging colleagues – so if that description fits you, please do check out the AUSIT Mentoring Program details on our website, and put your hand up or contact Nicola if it looks like something you’d like to do in the coming year.
And for those interested in being mentored, you too can find out more about the AUSIT Mentoring Program on the website, and prepare to apply – applications will open 1 February, look for our communications on this subject in the New Year.
Jill Blewett Memorial Lecture available to watch
For those of you who couldn’t make it to the AUSIT National Conference this year, do check out this year’s JBML, given by Mary Ann Baquero Geronimo, CEO of FECCA. Mary Ann gave a platform to the voices of community stakeholders to highlight how language services impact CALD communities.
AUSIT shares information on matters of interest to members on behalf of external organisations and individuals. AUSIT does not endorse them or vet them for suitability. Please direct any enquiries to the relevant contacts given, rather than to AUSIT.
Research projects posted here have obtained the necessary ethics clearance from the appropriate Ethics Committee of their relevant institution(s). It remains the responsibility of each participant to request proof of this clearance from the researcher(s) leading the project.
Jobs Kiosk
TAFESA is seeking a Vietnamese tutor for its Diploma of Interpreting course ...
… commencing in March 2026. The course is delivered online in a virtual classroom setting and Vietnamese interpreting classes are delivered one night per week for 3 hours. Classes run from March to December, excluding school holidays. The tutor will be required to provide feedback to students during interpreting role plays performed in class and during assessments, and generally guide students through the resources provided by the course on the various domain areas of interpreting.
Applicants must be NAATI-certified interpreters.
If you are interested in exploring opportunities to expand your professional skills and benefit from the satisfaction that comes from teaching, please address your expression of interest (including resume) and enquiries to Marina Morgan by email: marina.morgan@tafesa.
Until our next update, thank you for making this year such a success for our association.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a restful summer ahead.
With warmth and gratitude,
Carl Gene Fordham
AUSIT National President
