Videos & Podcasts

By Adolfo Gentile, practitioner since 1968. Adolfo is an Advanced Translator English<>Italian, T&I educator, NAATI Chair 1995-2002, and Past President of FIT (International Federation of Translators).

By Dr Michael Cooke, a consultant linguist and principal of Intercultural Communications which provides training for interpreters in Aboriginal languages and training seminars for agencies that use them, particularly in health, legal and judicial domains. He is a NAATI recognised interpreter/translator in Djabarrpuyngu specialising in legal interpreting and forensic linguistics. Legal interpreters in Aboriginal languages face meta-linguistic barriers to communication that challenge the constraints of the traditional legal interpreter’s role. The facilitation of successful intercultural communication frequently requires the interpreter to act as cultural broker if communication breakdown is to be avoided.

By Evan Blackmore, former Lecturer in Psychiatry at the University of Western Australia. In collaboration with A M Blackmore, he has edited and translated Six French Poets of the Nineteenth Century (Oxford University Press, 2000), Selected Poems of Victor Hugo (University of Chicago Press 2001), The Major Epics of Victor Hugo (Edwin Mellen Press 2002), and The Essential Hugo ( Oxford University Press 2003). In collaboration with A M Blackmore and Francine Giguere he has translated Twelve Plays by Alfred de Musset (Edwin Mellen Press 2001), and Five Comedies by George Sand (State University of New York Press 2003). Forthcoming translations include volumes of poetry by Paul Verlain and fiction by George Sand. His other publications include literary criticism, psycholinguistic research and translation studies. In this lecture he discusses the practicalities of preparing a sample of the proposed translation, submitting the sample to the publisher, completing the translation, submitting the completed text to the publisher, revising the text and proofreading.

By Terry Chesher, a Fellow and foundation member of AUSIT. In her presentation, Terry gives a brief report on an international survey conducted by the FIT committee on Community Based Interpreting in 1998 and 1999. The interpreters’ perspective was sought through an internationally distributed questionnaire, in which practitioners voiced their opinions on the particular characteristics and requirements of their work. Survey data highlighted the importance of ethics in defining the interpreters’ role and in providing the guiding principles for their practice. The way ethical principles are interpreted and applied in practice is the subject of ongoing debate in the profession. Over 90 survey respondents from 7 countries (many from Australia) illuminate ethical considerations in interpreting in the community. Interpreters need to attempt to reconcile the tensions between formal definitions of ethical principles and interpreting in practice in community settings.

By Olive Knight, an interpreter since 1982 who has worked in the fields of health, language and native title. She lives in the Fitzroy Valley in the Kimberley. A code of ethics for interpreters is promoted as a guarantee of professional integrity for users of interpreters and as a guideline for professional practice by interpreters themselves. The code of ethics is meant to provide interpreters with a base from which to work through ethical and moral issues that arise during their interpreting practice. A code of ethics guarantees consistency across the profession. However, as it stands now, the code of ethics does not provide this consistency or support for Aboriginal language interpreters. In many cases the code of ethics can make a situation more problematic. There are many situations where the code of ethics infringes on the Aboriginal interpreter’s ability to operate as an effective interpreter within their own society.

By The Hon Justice Len Roberts-Smith, R.F.D., who graduated with a law degree from the University of Adelaide in 1969. He went to Papua New Guinea in early 1970 where he held various legal posts in the Crown Law department of the PNG Administration and became Chief Crown Prosecutor. He returned to South Australia in 1976 and later took up the position of foundation director of the Legal Aid Commission of WA in 1978. In 1989 he returned to private legal practice as barrister in Perth. He was sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme Court of WA in 2000.

By Kerry Bastian, Manager of the Multicultural Access Unit of the Department of Health Western Australia. She is a community health nurse with a Bachelor of Science in anthropology and archaeology and a Master of Public Health.