AUSIT

Presenter: Sofya Yunusova

Facilitators: Ludmila Stern & Sandra Hale (Macquarie University)

The aim of this webinar is to provide interpreters with background knowledge of mental illness, psychiatric interviewing and assessment, outline the common interpreting challenges, offer some strategies for interpreting in a range of psychiatric consultations and discuss positive coping strategies.

Interpreting in mental health settings is complex and interpreters face multiple challenges. Mental health and allied mental health professionals rely primarily on verbal and non-verbal communication for assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.

For a successful therapeutic relationship, interpreters require contextual knowledge and an understanding of the role communication plays in the different types of encounters e.g. psychiatric assessment, cognitive assessment, therapy, or family meetings). For example, to make a correct diagnosis, it is crucial to understand the client’s cultural references as well as how he/she communicates (i.e. tone, volume and rate). The challenge for the interpreter is to accurately represent these in order to enable the clinician to make the most appropriate clinical decision.

A common culture or history between client and interpreter may increase the interpreter’s credibility, as well as their ability to fulfil their role. It is important for interpreters to develop positive coping strategies.

Presenter: Andrés Otero Forero

This workshop is facilitated by Colombian-born psychologist Andrés Otero Forero.

Andrés has extensive experience in education. He was a guest lecturer at different academic institutions before coming to Australia in 2003. Since then, Andrés has worked in the multicultural sector. He currently works in the Queensland Transcultural Mental Health Centre as the Clinical Educator.

This webinar was delivered in 2022 in celebration of International Translation Day (ITD) with the theme "A World Without Barriers".

As usual, AUSIT would like to invite you all to join us in our special ITD celebration – Assertiveness Panel Discussion for interpreters and translators. In today’s world, when even COVID could not stop people from connecting with others in different parts of the globe, who other than interpreters and translators can play a more important role in breaking down the communication barriers and reconnecting people and cultures with one another?

However, working as an interpreter or a translator means that we cannot avoid being exposed to people who have unrealistic expectations about our role all the time. Have you worked with a lawyer who insists everything has to be “translated word for word”? Or a doctor who asks for a complicated medical report to be sight-translated on the spot? How about a speaker who thinks it helpful to read out a highly technical research paper at a hundred miles an hour? Or a client who is offering peanuts for a complicated translation project?

If you ever wondered what can be done to diplomatically manage clients’ expectations, how to decide whether I should give in to clients’ requests, and more importantly, how to ensure our working standards and ethics are not compromised, come and join our highly esteemed panel members for a discussion on how to be assertive with clients and ensure that we help create a world without barriers.

From March 2023, NAATI released digital identification options for certified practitioners. Practitioners can choose to use either a physical translator stamp or ID card, or the digital option. Digital stamps are available for use by all certified translators and digital ID cards are available to all NAATI-certified practitioners who have current credentials.

In this informative webinar, Michael Nemarich (NAATI Chief Operating Officer) will discuss the new digital stamps and ID cards and other significant system upgrades that NAATI has made in February 2023 to improve functionality, security and ease of use for practitioners. 

Presenter: Michael Nemarich

In April 2022, the Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity (JCCD) launched the second edition of its Recommended National Standards (RNS). The RNS are directed at courts and tribunals, judicial officers, interpreters, and members of the legal profession. They aim to provide courts and legal professionals with guidance on engaging and working with interpreters to ensure procedural fairness for people with limited English proficiency.

Thanks to NAATI's sponsorship, AUSIT is able to present this free webinar to review the changes that have been introduced in light of NAATI’s new certification system and the recent surge in video remote court interpreting. We will explore the advances in the way court interpreters work since the first publication in 2017, and the achievements and challenges of implementing the RNS. Learn practical steps that will assist you in achieving the working conditions you require to professionally deliver your services so they may better serve the justice system.

Prior to attending the session, it would be beneficial for participants to familiarise themselves with the second edition of the RNS, which can be accessed for free on the JCCD’s website.

Presenter: Cintia Lee

This presentation will provide an overview of NAATI’s recent innovations around test preparation, test delivery and system refinements. The webinar was originally delivered in February 2024.

Presenter: Aurelie Shehan

This webinar was part of the 2023 AUSIT National Conference.

Speakers: Ali Mond (Dept. of Home Affairs); Angelo Berbotto (AUSIT); Breda Diamond (Multicultural NSW Language Services); Jill McCabe (Professionals Australia); Kevin le Roux (Connecting Now); Mark Painting (NAATI); Rob Aurbach (JBML lecture)

Chair:  Silvia Martinez (AUSIT NSW)

This webinar was part of the 2023 AUSIT National Conference.

Chair: J. Angelo Berbotto, AUSIT National President