From your National President
Esteemed Members, Colleagues:
I hope you had an enjoyable and restful Easter break.
The 38th AUSIT National Conference Organising Committee is working hard on preparation for our peak annual event (Canberra, 20–22 November). I hope to meet as many of you as possible there!
And if you’re coming, why not think of participating?! The Call for Proposals opened this week, and the conference theme of Focusing on Engagement: with government, clients, language communities, colleagues relates to each and every one of us. So check out the sub-themes and have a think about what you could contribute – maybe a presentation, workshop or panel discussion. You can find more information – including the sub-themes, application details and relevant dates – here, and if you’d like to run a session idea by the Organising Committee, you can email them here.
I would also like to invite Queensland colleagues to join me for a panel discussion on professional solidarity in Brisbane on Wednesday 21 May at 6 pm.
It promises to be an engaging evening featuring some fantastic speakers: Renee Zahnow (Associate Professor, UQ), Brett Milton (Auslan-English interpreter) and Norma Augent (convenor of the Latin American Group at 4EB Radio). The incomparable Patricia Argüello de Avila (AUSIT Fellow and Chair of our Advocacy Committee) will be moderating the conversation.
If you are in Brisbane and available, please register by 19 May 2025. I would love to see you there.
Meanwhile, I am excited to share some important developments in our profession below.
Joint Statement with TIA
One of my main goals after becoming AUSIT’s president was to build stronger connections with key stakeholders. I believe this is essential for the National Council to effectively advocate for practitioners’ interests.
As part of this effort, I have been in talks with Translators and Interpreters Australia (TIA) – the industrial voice of Australian T&I practitioners within the union Professionals Australia (PA). Over the years, we have noticed some confusion among colleagues about the distinct roles of a professional association like AUSIT versus a trade union like PA. To address this, the National Council has collaborated with PA to create a joint statement that clearly outlines both the similarities and key differences between our organisations.
You can read the Joint Statement here.
I hope the statement provides clarity for practitioners and external stakeholders alike, and I encourage all members to share it among colleagues, as well as individuals and organisations who work with us.
Special thanks to Sam Roberts (CEO, PA), Scott Crawford (Director – Victoria, PA), and Niki Baras (Organiser – TIA) for their work on this statement. I am also grateful to all the dual AUSIT/PA members who reached out to me for guidance and feedback.
I look forward to continued collaboration with TIA on matters of shared interest, while maintaining our distinct roles and responsibilities.
FIT Membership Pre-Vote Education Campaign
As I advised in the last Newsletter, the National Council has decided to ask members to vote on whether AUSIT’s membership of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) should be renewed. The decision aims to resolve three issues, namely:
1. Many AUSIT members are unaware of FIT’s activities and the claimed benefits of FIT membership.
2. It has been a long time since AUSIT members were asked whether FIT membership is worthwhile.
3. It is unclear whether AUSIT’s limited financial resources might be better allocated to other priorities.
The National Council feels it is crucial for AUSIT members to have all the relevant information before they cast their vote. I have been encouraging members to thoroughly research FIT and carefully consider where they stand on this issue. I have also gathered insights from respected senior practitioners who have agreed to share their perspectives on FIT membership with our broader membership.
This month I have been grateful to receive submissions from Dr Adolfo Gentile, Dr Uldis Ozolins, Dr Jim Hlavac, Catherine N.
FIT President and former AUSIT member Alison Rodriguez has responded to my enquiries with a detailed letter which you can read here.
Ms Rodriguez has also encouraged AUSIT members to read the FIT membership benefits paper, Achieve Together, here.
The FIT membership vote will be announced in due course. I urge all AUSIT members to read these submissions carefully before that time comes.
AUSIT's Position on the NAATI LSP Endorsement Model
You may recall that the Department of Home Affairs has directed NAATI to develop an endorsement model for LSPs.
NAATI has issued a discussion paper inviting feedback from stakeholders on this development, and the National Council has submitted AUSIT’s official position on NAATI’s proposed Model for their consideration.
I am grateful to NAATI CEO Mark Painting for his continued support in facilitating this process of consultation.
I am also indebted to the Advocacy Committee and the Ethics and Professional Practice Committee (EPPC) for volunteering considerable amounts of personal time to develop AUSIT’s official position on the Model.
You can read AUSIT’s official position on the Model here.
AUSIT will continue to advocate for translators and interpreters across Australia when critical decisions are being made that affect our profession.
Use of large language models (LLMs) in T&I settings
As you have likely noticed, AI tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Claude are becoming increasingly common in the T&I sector. While these large language models (LLMs) have some good use cases, their long-term impact on our profession — particularly in Australia — remains uncertain. I encourage all AUSIT members to stay informed about the latest guidelines and recommendations – here are three documents addressing the issue:
1. Interpreting SAFE AI Task Force Guidance on AI and Interpreting Services
2. NAATI Position Statement on Use of AI for Translation and Interpreting Purposes
3. FIT Position Paper on the Use of AI in Interpreting
Please share these documents with your colleagues and the organisations you work with, so more people understand the responsibilities and risks of using these platforms for T&I work.
Thank you for taking the time to read this month’s President’s Newsletter.
I hope the coming month of May brings wonderful opportunities your way.
With warmth and gratitude,
Carl Gene Fordham
AUSIT National President
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