Paul Sinclair Award for Outstanding Contribution to AUSIT

The late Paul Sinclair (1936–2009) was an AUSIT founding member and a polyglot. He studied French, German and Latin in school, French and German (along with psychology) at Sydney University, and Russian later at ANU. He completed a Diploma of Education specialising in foreign languages In Sydney in 1965, and in 1984 he gained an Associate Diploma in Portuguese from Perth’s Edith Cowan University. He also gained NAATI professional-level accreditation from French and German to English, and also studied Italian, Spanish, Greek, Sanskrit, Hebrew, Indonesian and possibly Hungarian. 

Paul was NAATI’s first Executive Secretary (1985–86), then Executive Director (1987–88). Working hard to implement NAATI’s commitment to fostering the emergence of a national professional association, he was largely responsible for bringing representatives of the various state associations to the meeting in Canberra in 1987 which united them all under the umbrella of what was eventually named the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT). 

Paul served on the NSW Branch Committee in its early years and represented AUSIT on NAATI’s NSW Regional Advisory Committee, and later served as President of AUSIT’s Queensland Branch. He was also the original driving force behind AUSIT being admitted to membership of Professions Australia, and T&I thus being recognised as a profession. 

Paul’s fellow AUSIT members spoke of him with great affection as ‘a larger-than-life figure’; with gratitude for his mentorship (of both new and experienced colleagues), support and encouragement; with appreciation for his wit, outspokenness and unfailing courtesy; and for his contribution of valuable ideas. 

The above text is paraphrased from the article Vale Paul Sinclair – put together by AUSIT Fellow Barbara McGilvray OAM, from contributions by Paul’s widow Dalia Sinclair plus various AUSIT members and others – that was published in the Spring 2009 issue of AUSIT’s In Touch magazine (pages 17–18).