Dear Colleagues,
We are now at the end of the financial year. For AUSIT members, this means that if you haven’t received an invoice to renew your membership, you soon will.
I’m pleased to announce that through the 2023–24 tax year, membership fees will remain at a discounted level (see below), and timely renewal helps us with our cashflow – so please, don’t hesitate: renew today.
Most members can claim a tax deduction on membership, check with your trusted accountant or tax agent if in doubt.
The more members AUSIT has, the more resources available and the more work AUSIT can do, so please invite your peers who are not yet members to join and send them this link: application form.
T&I survey: our chance to effect changes …
As you will know from my and NAATI’s mail-outs, the Department of Home Affairs has launched a survey investigating the sustainability of the language services sector and aimed solely at interpreters and translators. The intro says:
Your answers to questions in the survey will help us make sure that in the future there are enough interpreters and translators to meet the needs of the Australian community including those with low English proficiency. In other words, we wish to hear from you about how to make the sector sustainable. Your participation in the survey will provide the Department with valuable insights about the language services sector, including the opportunity to consider options to improve sector sustainability.
The survey closes on 30 June 2023, so please, if you haven’t filled it out yet, do so here!
… plus some follow-up questions from me!
The survey doesn’t include a couple of questions on which I’m interested to know your opinions, so please expect another short survey from me in coming days. Thank you very much for engaging with this.
I’ve received feedback from some members saying they’ve seen this kind of thing before but it led to no substantial changes. While I can’t blame some of you for feeling disheartened, let’s remain optimistic and see whether we can change the direction of things this time to make the two related professions, translating and interpreting, valued and respected again!
News about the AUSIT mentorship program
As previously announced, applications for the AUSIT Mentorship Program opened back in April.
The program, which seeks mainly to support students and recent graduates, has been expanded to include non-student candidates who live in regional areas or work with languages of lesser diffusion.
In this round, mentee applications (47) have overwhelmingly outnumbered mentor applications (14), so we’re still looking for mentors – in particular, we need practitioners with the following working languages*: Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, and French; and ideally, also one in each of: Indonesian, Italian, Russian, Ukrainian and Serbian.
If you’re interested in participating as a mentor and haven’t applied already, please complete the online Mentor Application and Mentor Character Reference forms ASAP, which you can find here along with more information about the process.
* NOTE: mentors can choose to mentor someone with a different working language, so please do apply if you’re interested but your language is not on the list above.
Australian Referendum 2023: The Voice
The National Council of AUSIT has written a statement regarding the upcoming referendum on enshrining an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution – please see the appendix at the end of this newsletter.
In Touch magazine is now an Open Access Publication
Following feedback from contributors, readers and the Communications Committee, all issues of In Touch will now be available to the public. While it remains a particularly valuable resource for our members, AUSIT’s National Council have decided that making the magazine fully public again will help increase AUSIT’s visibility as the Australian T&I industry’s peak professional body, and may encourage non-members to join.
Editors Hayley and Helen have also overhauled access to the magazine, with the aims of:
- improving the reader experience (on both computers and mobile devices) and also
- making it easier to share content on social media.
From the July issue (due out next week), you will be able to read the magazine on the AUSIT website in a flipbook format, and also click on individual articles’ titles in the flipbook to read them as posts on AUSIT’s blog and share them on social media.
Check these options out here in early July, and feel free to share both In Touch magazine and individual articles (via blog links inside it) with friends and family, colleagues and other stakeholders.
These changes are accompanied by a decision to open up advertising opportunities. If you wish to advertise your products/services check out our rates here, and to find out more or to book a slot please email our Communications Officer.
Past newsletters archived
From the beginning of 2023 we started archiving each past newsletter as a blog post – links below.
President’s Newsletter January 2023
President’s Newsletter February 2023
President’s Newsletter March 2023
President’s Newsletter April 2023
President’s Newsletter May 2023
Newsletters from earlier years are also available here.
AUSIT in fine shape financially
In the June meeting of the National Council we approved the national budget for the coming financial year 2023–24. As a non-for-profit organisation, AUSIT is in a very sound financial condition with over $350,000 savings in our bank account. This is allowing us to implement various projects and organise events to support our members and the ongoing development of the T&I profession in Australia. In the next financial year we will launch a number of exciting initiatives, including continuously providing discounted membership fees, upgrading our current website, and returning In Touch magazine to quarterly publication while also converting it into a new flipbook e-magazine format with blogs of individual articles (see above).
Petition to encourage implementation of the RNS: your last chance to sign and share!
Lastly, our petition to push for implementation of the RNS conditions across the country ends in a few days: 30 June!
At 2,114 signatures at our last count, we’re tantalising close to the 2,500 that could attract media coverage.
If you haven’t signed it, please consider doing so now here.
Signed already? Thank you, and please forward the link below to all your fair-minded friends, relatives and colleagues and ask them to spare a couple of minutes to sign:
Allow court & tribunal interpreters to do their job: improve working conditions now!
And remember to report your experiences in courts and tribunals here.
BRANCH NEWS
SA/NT Branch
… as reported by Joe van Dalen
On 20 June, members were treated to an excellent presentation from Anne Lindsay, Principal Registrar of the SA Civil and Administrative Tribunal, a dispute resolution body often using interpreters and dealing with matters as varied as housing, guardianship, medical treatments, advanced care directives, mental health treatment and equal opportunity cases.
The interaction from members present and their insightful experiences and suggestions led to Anne taking on board strategies for improving how the Tribunal works with interpreters. Altogether a very productive evening, for the small group of dedicated members who attended.
VIC Branch
… as reported by Roksan Lashin
On Tuesday 13 June, the AUSIT VIC branch hosted a webinar ‘Understanding Police Interviewing for interpreters’. The seminar was presented by Professor Georgina Heydon and moderated by Angelo Berbotto.
A total of around 81 practitioners attended the online event, out of around 102 registrations. The presentation was received well and the audience was very responsive and interactive.
… and as reported by Karine Bachelier
On 22 June, VIC Branch held our monthly social event at the Oxford Scholar in Melbourne CBD. About 20 participants were able to meet and greet and talk all things T&I!
AUSIT PD & EVENTS
AUSIT National Conference 2023
The Conference Organising Committee 2023 are predicting a huge turnout at AUSIT’s first post-COVID face-to-face-only annual conference. AUSIT, ASLIA, NZSTI or FIT members and other T&I stakeholders from around Australia and NZ are encouraged to come and play a part – as presenters, attendees or both!
As a goodwill gesture, we’ve extended our Early Bird reduced rates to members of Professionals Australia (TIA), AALITRA and WAITI – see below.
Registration for the Conference, Welcome Cocktail and Gala Dinner is now open here.
** Don’t forget to book by 31 July to take advantage of the Early Bird reduced rates! **
Call for abstracts
If you are interested in presenting at the conference, please submit an abstract by 15 July. For more information and to submit, click here.
You can read more about the conference here.
If you have any questions, please contact the Conference Organiser.
We now have the following sponsors, with more coming in:
Ruby sponsor
Emerald sponsor (NSW Health)
Platinum sponsors
Venue sponsor
Silver sponsors
Bronze sponsors
- AUSIT QLD Branch: Social Event – Sunshine Coast Informal Lunch – 23 July 2023.
- AUSIT NAT Branch: Virtual Meet and Greet for German Translators and Interpreters – 6 July 2023.
- AUSIT NAT Branch: Virtual Meet and Greet for Polish Translators and Interpreters – 4 July 2023.
- AUSIT NAT Branch: Roadmap to Catch a T&I Prospect’s Eye in a Crowded Market – 26 June 2013.
EXTERNAL PD & EVENTS
All information below is provided by external organisations. Please register and direct any enquiries to the relevant contact outlined in each announcement, rather than to AUSIT.
Dear translators,
You are cordially invited to session #23 of our Translator’s Forum! We have another pitch for you, this time five of our colleagues will present their literary discoveries from the Asia-Pacific region – so it is THE opportunity to get to know translators with German as their target language – not necessarily living in Germany! – and to learn about exciting titles from different countries. In addition, we get to know representatives of interesting literary publishers in German-speaking countries.
Marcella Melien from Litprom, the intermediary organisation for world literature based in Frankfurt, will moderate the pitching.
When: Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 10 am CET (Central European Time)
Where: online
Cost: free
For more information, email here.
FIT Legal Translation Standing Committee Practitioner Survey
FIT-ITF is carrying out a survey of interpreters that work in courts and tribunals around the globe.
Please fill out the survey here.
Queensland Government Interpreter Training Boost Program 2024
The Queensland Government are recruiting candidates again to become interpreters via the Interpreter Training Boost Program 2024.
2M is delivering this Queensland Government-subsidised program in partnership with TAFE SA and NAATI. We are seeking applications from aspiring interpreters based in Queensland who speak English and a rare and emerging language. At the end of the program, candidates have the opportunity to sit the NAATI Provisional Certified Interpreter test.
Do you:
️ Speak English and a priority* language in Queensland
️ Reside in Queensland
️ Hold a compatible visa, Australian residency or citizenship
*Afar, Amharic, Anuak, Assyrian, Blen, Burmese, Chin languages, Dari, Dinka, Farsi, Hmong, Karen/Karenni, Kinyarwanda/Rwanda, Kirundi/ Nyarwandwa/Rundi, Kiswahili, Kurdish languages (including Kurdish Kurmanji), Kunama, Nepali, Oromo, Pashto, Rohingya, Samoan, Sango, Solomon Pijin, Somali, Sudanese Arabic, Swahili, Tamil, Thai, Tigre, Tigrinya/Tigrinian, Tok Pisin, and Tongan, or any other language from New and Emerging Communities which are in demand in QLD.
Find more details and apply here (applications close 24 August 2023).
Launch of Australia's only Punjabi Translation & Interpreting Higher Education Course
Next intake: July
Click here to learn more.
Post-graduate T&I Programs at UNSW - new languages
Languages offered from 2023: Cantonese, French, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Turkish.
The programs are Commonwealth supported (making them very affordable) and can be taken fully online. They include Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Master’s degrees.
Applications still open here.
For more information, please click here.
For course-related queries, please contact Prof. Sandra Hale here.
Note Taking for Long Consecutive Interpreting (workshop)
When: Monday 3 July @ 2–5 pm AEST
Where: This is a live online workshop (via Zoom)
Discounts apply to AUSIT members and students.
This workshop builds on Conversa’s self-paced online course ‘Introduction to Note Taking for Interpreters’ and suits practitioners and students preparing for the NAATI Certified Interpreter Consecutive Monologue Interpreter tasks or seeking to improve their Note Taking for Long Consecutive Interpreting skills.
How can notes be taken so it captures the idea instead of the words? How to minimise the effort poured into note-taking so it does not interfere with other competing tasks during the interpreting process? What can be done to improve our notes, so it helps with delivering the interpretation? These are the key issues this workshop looks to address through live note-taking exercises and discussions.
The workshop is facilitated by Xiaoxing Wang.
To register please click here.
For further information please email Conversa here.
BRiTA Futures Training: a program to promote health and well-being for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds
BRiTA Futures is an innovative program to support the emotional process of migration. There are three versions of this program, for Primary School, Adolescent, and Adults and Parents. Since 2010, QTMHC has trained facilitators who facilitated the program to diverse communities of Queensland. Evaluation of the program shows that participants see it as a safe place where connections can be created, where they can better understand culture and acculturation and where they build skills. The main topics discussed in the different sessions are: health and well-being, the migratory process, cultural strengths, resiliency, social connections, communication skills, evolving roles, and inter-generational relationships. It allows participants to share with others and learn from each other’s ideas and experiences.
Further 2023 monthly trainings are planned for:
BRiTA Futures for Adults
29 and 30 August
25 and 26 September
29 and 30 November
BRiTA Futures for Adolescent:
19 and 20 July
23 and 24 October
Training will be held at Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre (QTMHC)Woolloongabba Community Health Centre
Level 2, 228 Logan Road
Woolloongabba QLD 4102
For more information call +61 7 3317 1234 or email.
Register here.
Interactional Management Online Workshop
From Conversations: Education, this workshop aims to provide interpreters with knowledge, skills and strategies for how to best manage the flow of the communication when required. Learners will apply interaction management strategies in simulated scenarios. They will also have an opportunity to share experiences and ask questions about managing interaction in complex settings.
When: 14 August 2023, 2–5 pm
Cost: $150
Click here for more information and to register.
Diversity: better culture, better workplaces
(three-day PD program)
Diversity can be seen as a buzzword – but how can individuals create inclusive workplaces that value diversity and also harness the potential of each person’s cultural identities to enable new ways of thinking and doing? (a three-day PD program)
When: 19, 20 and 21 July, 9 am to 4 pm
Where: Monash College, 750 Collins Street, Docklands, VIC 3008
Click here for more information and to register.
For further information please contact Alex Avella (PD Program Lead Monash Intercultural Lab).
NAATI Interpreting in NDIS Settings program
(three-day PD program)
Free program of 6 self-paced modules and 2 live webinars (24 July & 28 August).
To find out more about the program click here.
To take part, create a NAATI Learn account and enrol.
For questions or suggestions contact NEDA’s Project and policy officer Lyn Wu.
NZSTI Conference 2023
When: 16–17 September 2023
Where: Christchurch, Aotearoa NZ
Theme: Overcoming Challenges ● Creating Harmony
Click here for more information, to read the call for papers and to register.
CALLS FOR PROPOSALS
Callout for submissions on 'Para-Literary Translation in Periodicals'
The journal Perspectives Studies in Translation Theory and Practice is calling for submissions for a special issue: ‘Turning the Page. Para-Literary Translation in Periodicals’
Deadline for submissions: 1 Sep 2023
Deadline for manuscripts: 1 Sep 2024
For more information and to submit a manuscript click here.
USEFUL RESOURCES
Resource Guide: Working with interpreters in challenging situations
The Health Equity and Access Team at Metro South Health in Brisbane have developed a Resource Guide on working with interpreters in challenging situations. The Guide aims to help staff to improve communication and language support for our culturally and linguistically diverse patients.
For more information:
Queensland Health staff – visit QHEPS
External stakeholders – click here.
CALLS FOR PARTICIPANTS
Multi qualitative Study on Workplace Training for Language Interpretation in the Clinic: An Extension of Views from two Cities
PhD candidate Susan Peng would like to thank the many AUSIT members who are already participating in her research, and to invite more AUSIT members to take part.
Susan is holding focus group interviews with Australian practitioners from the healthcare interpreting sector to explore the status, needs, and outlook of clinic interpreting, juxtaposing the situation in Taipei and Melbourne.
She’s looking for interpreters who are familiar with clinic/bedside interpreting to participate in a 1.5 to 2.5-hour focus group (5-6 persons) interview online for on-the-ground perspectives and insight into the workplace.
AUSIT OPPORTUNITIES
AUSIT Translation Competition 2023 (for students and recently graduated translators)
The 2023 AUSIT Translation Competition is open for the following languages:
Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
Languages rotate periodically to promote the participation of contestants from various linguistic backgrounds. (If you would like to get involved so that your language is in the 2024 competition, express your interest by emailing our Education Committee.)
Selection criteria
A contestant must be:
- an AUSIT student member OR
- a student* at / recent graduate* (< 12 months) from one of our educational affiliate institutions.
* Please note: NAATI-certified translators and practitioners with over 5 years’ experience(even if currently enrolled in / recently graduated from a translation program) are not eligible to participate.
Contestants must complete a 400–600-word translation from LOTE into English in two weeks.
For more details and to participate, click here. The deadline for entries is 14 July.
AUSIT Translation Competition 2023: assessors also wanted ...
… for languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
Selection criteria
An assessor must:
- be a current AUSIT member
- hold a NAATI Certified Translator credential in the corresponding language pair;
- have a minimum of five years of relevant professional experience as a translator/revisor/trainer.
For more information and to register your interest, click here. The deadline to register interest is 14 July.
AUSIT motto competition
It’s not too late to enter AUSIT’s competition to create a catchy, optimistic motto that expresses the organisation’s principles, aims and underlying spirit … and be in with a chance to win a half-day PD (4hrs) voucher. Email your proposed motto(s) – number per entrant unlimited – to AUSIT’s Communications Committee by 31 August 2023.
JOB KIOSK
ABC Multilingua is seeking a NAATI-certified Hindi interpreter with experience in court work required for a criminal trial in Darwin later this year.
To express your interest or find out more, call ABC Multilingua on 0417 866 255 / 08 8364 5255.
READING CORNER: interesting articles & journals
Check out the revamped official language and culture publication of the Australian Department of Defence, Yarning. You can also subscribe for free! AUSIT congratulates the linguists and Defence personnel behind this great project.
Thanks once again for your commitment to the T/I professions. Make arrangements to come to our 36th National Conference, and remember that there are still opportunities for serving in the newly-created committees – see links to the committees restructure here, and the form to express your interest here. I thank those who have replied already, we will start contacting candidates in the coming weeks.
J. Angelo Berbotto
AUSIT National President
Appendix: National Council statement on Voice referendum
- see next page
J. Angelo Berbotto
AUSIT National President
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AUSIT National Council statement on Voice referendum June 2023
The Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) is the peak professional body for Australian translators and interpreters, and the author of the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct in place in this sector. Our membership includes practitioners who work with Indigenous languages.
As an association, AUSIT represents professionals whose work inherently entails assisting any members of Australia’s many culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are disempowered by a lack of proficiency in English. As such, AUSIT understands and respects the importance of providing mechanisms and processes that enable disempowered peoples to make their voices, both individually and collectively, heard.
The National Council of AUSIT therefore welcomes the aspirations and principles embodied in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and accepts the invitation in that Statement to walk together towards a better future for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and communities in this country.
The National Council acknowledges that the Uluru Statement’s call to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution arises out of generations of personal and community struggle by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for justice and political recognition in Australia.
The National Council recognises that there are diverse views – among both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, and non-Indigenous people and communities – about the current plans, based on the Uluru Statement, to constitutionally enshrine a Voice. However, the National Council also recognises that constitutional recognition, and processes for truth-telling and reconciliation, are long overdue.
The National Council of AUSIT therefore urges that all Australians voting in the forthcoming referendum do so with a commitment to redressing injustices, affording constitutional recognition, and bringing about much-needed beneficial change for the First Nations peoples of Australia.
National Council of the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators
June 2023
