From your National President
Esteemed Members, Colleagues:
I am delighted to announce that the 39th AUSIT National Conference will be held at the National Wine Centre, Adelaide, from Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 November 2026. Please save these dates in your calendar. Further information, including registration details and the full programme, will be shared with members in due course.
Please note that the National Wine Centre is a cultural and educational landmark managed by the University of Adelaide, and it is simply that — a landmark building we are using for its outstanding conference facilities. No wine drinking or handling will form part of the conference programme. The one exception is the gala dinner, where wine will of course be served, as has been the custom at every AUSIT conference.
I genuinely cannot wait to see so many of you in Adelaide. The National Conference is, without doubt, the highlight of my professional calendar — a time to celebrate our profession, connect with colleagues from across the country, and be reminded of just how much we achieve together. This one promises to be very special.
I have spent this month thinking about our voice as translators and interpreters, and how we can better use it to advance our profession.
We can use our voice to share our stories, our expertise, and our experiences with the broader public.
I recently did this on an episode of The Callover, a Queensland Law Society podcast. In the episode I talked with legal practitioner and author Georgia Athanasellis about the realities of interpreting in legal settings. My colleagues in the legal profession have told me that hearing my voice has helped them better understand what interpreters and translators actually do – and why it matters.
We can also use our voice to speak up for change.
I did this recently when I signed Professionals Australia’s petition A Unified Call for a Stronger Language Services Workforce.
I did this because I genuinely believe our sector is facing a workforce crisis. Interpreter shortages are leaving tens of thousands without critical language support each year. This is costing nearly $900 million annually and causing real harm, including mistrials, misdiagnoses, and families left without vital information.
I agree with the Union that, while NAATI’s new LSP Endorsement model (see below) is a welcome step forward, it will not be enough on its own. What we urgently need is a mechanism that guarantees fair pay, job security, and clear protections for interpreters and translators.
I urge AUSIT members to join me in adding their name to this petition.
We can also use our voice to recognise excellence in our field.
Here I would like to acknowledge NAATI for sponsoring the annual NSW Premier’s Multicultural Community Interpreters and Translators Medal.
Likewise, I would like to thank the Hungarian Council of NSW for nominating AUSIT Past President Márta Bárány for this honour in 2026. This is well-deserved recognition for Márta, for what has been a long and extraordinary career – you can read more about Marta and her career in the April issue of In Touch magazine, coming out in the first week of April.
Overall, our profession needs more voices to be heard.
When the public understands our work, they demand better language services.
When decision-makers feel collective pressure, they act.
I encourage every one of you to find your own voice — a conversation, a platform, a signature, a letter.
Take any opportunity to speak up.
Voices of translators and interpreters on the global stage
Our colleagues around the world are making their voices heard in ways that remind us why this profession matters.
I have been reading a profile of Lee Yun-hyang, a Korean interpreter who served at all three Trump–Kim summits. Lee reveals how much interpreters shape – not just convey – high-stakes exchanges, both in terms of tone and emotional atmosphere.
There have been some other excellent articles of late, including:
- an opinion piece by writer and translator Eric Margolis argues that literary translation builds empathy and meaning in ways no algorithm can replicate;
- an interview with Choi Byong-hyon, translator of a 16th-century Korean war chronicle, offers a masterclass in rendering pre-modern texts across both time and culture;
- I also found this interview with Nikolas Konidis, the Greek translator of Xi Jinping’s collected speeches, very interesting – it reminds us that politically significant texts require translators with not just linguistic fluency, but deep ideological and cultural sensitivity.
Each of these stories is, at its core, about the same thing: the irreplaceable human intelligence behind our work. I encourage you to read them.
Developments in the international literary translation field
The global literary translation landscape is experiencing a notable moment.
Han Kang’s novel We Do Not Part has become the first translated work to win the fiction category at the USA’s National Book Critics Circle Award since the prize was established in 1975.
Meanwhile, at the 2026 London Book Fair, translators gathered to assess progress on the #TranslatorsOnTheCover movement, launched five years ago. Cover credits for translators have become more common, particularly among independent publishers, though calls remain for better pay, metadata inclusion and fairer contracts.
Lastly, I draw your attention to the longlist for the International Booker Prize 2026. The Prize is awarded annually for a work of fiction translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland, and this year’s longlist features 13 works spanning continents and themes. It adds further momentum to what appears to be a broader cultural shift toward embracing literature in translation.
Over 200 alleged interpreting errors made in Victorian Trial
The ABC reported back in January that more than 200 translation errors were purportedly made by a NAATI-certified Arabic interpreter during a Victorian Supreme Court trial. A second interpreter, engaged by the accused, had identified around 100 of those errors as potentially harmful or prejudicial.
Rather than striking out the evidence, the judge ruled that an amended transcript would allow the trial to continue fairly. The case has raised broader questions about the reliability of interpreter services within the Australian legal system.
I thank past AUSIT President Professor Sandra Hale for explaining the nuances of this case to the general public when her comments were sought by the ABC back in January. She has also lent her time to provide a recent interview with ABC Nightlife.
According to NAATI COO Michael Nemarich, NAATI has not received any complaints regarding these errors; neither has AUSIT.
Consequences for lack of interpreter access in public services
A NSW coroner has found that the death of Vietnamese-speaking woman Gia Lam could have been prevented with a correct diagnosis and consistent interpreter services.
The inquest noted that at several critical points Lam did not have access to a qualified interpreter, and that this severely limited her ability to communicate her symptoms and receive important aftercare information.
I feel that this case has really highlighted the life-or-death consequences that can result from inadequate language support for patients with limited English proficiency. When public institutions fail to provide adequate T&I services, vulnerable people are excluded from systems meant to serve them equally.
Recent examples of this can be found across the world, particularly among Deaf populations:
In India, the country’s first deaf lawyer, Sarah Sunny, has spoken out about the barriers Deaf parties face in engaging an interpreter in court.
In Namibia, parliamentarians have criticized the government for failing to provide sign-language interpreters across public institutions.
In the Bahamas, advocates say hospitals routinely route communication with Deaf patients through family members rather than qualified interpreters.
In Cambodia, a critical shortage of trained interpreters has left tens of thousands of Deaf Cambodians struggling to access healthcare, education, and legal services.
Updates on AI encroachment in the workplace
As artificial intelligence continues to mature, institutions across the world are grappling with how to integrate it responsibly.
In the UK, a government-commissioned review has called for sweeping reforms to England and Wales’s criminal courts, which are struggling under record case backlogs. Among more than 130 recommendations, AI-assisted translation has been proposed as a remedy for the chronic shortage of court interpreters.
In the Netherlands, the International Court of Justice is seeking a ‘translation technologist’ to help modernise its Department of Linguistic Matters in The Hague. The role centres on evaluating and improving the court’s translation technology infrastructure and on integrating these technologies into translators’ daily workflows.
In the US, a proposed Wisconsin bill that would permit AI-assisted court interpretation has drawn sharp criticism from civil liberties advocates and disability rights groups. It was also recently reported that AI translation tools are being adopted rapidly across US hospitals. The article notes that, according to a 2026 study, 57% of American physicians are already using or planning to use such tools.
AUSIT published a Position Statement on the use of machine translation, machine interpreting and artificial intelligence in T&I settings in December last year.
AUSIT will continue to monitor AI encroachment in Australian T&I settings, and advocate for the responsible use of AI among relevant stakeholders.
Engagement Hub shutdown on 31 May 2026
National Council, on the advice of the Communications Committee, has decided to end the Engagement Hub after a two-year trial due to falling numbers and involvement. Therefore, AUSIT Engage will shut down on 31 May. We will be exploring other avenues and platforms which can provide opportunities for members of subgroups within AUSIT (such as the language divisions) to communicate with each other.
NAATI launches its LSP Endorsement Model
Following a rigorous discussion and feedback process to which AUSIT contributed extensively last year – via two of our committees, Advocacy and also Ethics and Professional Practice – NAATI has launched its Language Service Provider (LSP) Endorsement Model, intended to provide government agencies who are procuring T&I services with an additional layer of assurance in meeting their access and equity objectives. You can read about what LSPs must do to receive and retain endorsement here.
NAATI launches multicultural campaign to highlight the human value of certified interpreters
I was delighted to see NAATI partnering with SBS CulturalConnect and SBS In Language Services to launch a brand campaign called We All Deserve to Be Understood. I understand the campaign is aimed at reframing NAATI certification as a vital human safeguard, in addition to a professional credential. It spotlights high-stakes everyday settings where certified interpreters play a critical role, and is currently being delivered across 12 languages through SBS television, radio, digital, and out-of-home channels. You can check out the video here.
I think this is a great note to end this month’s newsletter on, as NAATI’s campaign adds to the voices of practitioners in the public arena. Thank you for your continued dedication to our profession and to the AUSIT community. I look forward to seeing many of you at our upcoming events, and as always, I encourage you to reach out. Your input and engagement are what make our association thrive.
With warmth and gratitude, Carl Gene Fordham National President Australian Institute of Interpreters & Translators (AUSIT) |
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