GREATER Shepparton’s vast multicultural community continues to grow, which means when a natural disaster like the 2022 October floods occurs, having the right support around the many local multicultural communities is vital.
At a Resilience in Recovery event held in conjunction with Monash University earlier this year, Acting Translations Manager at LanguageLoop and Research Affiliate with Monash University, Dr Margherita Angelucci, shared an insight into the failings around the October 2022 floods.
“Monash had delivered several short courses in Shepparton, but, during the floods, it became clear that there were still challenges in communication with multicultural communities,” said Dr Angelucci.
“We know there are not enough interpreters based in the regions, that is why LanguageLoop is proactively engaging with multicultural communities across regional Victoria to support a strong pipeline of trained interpreters to ensure that everyone has access to quality language services.”
The role of an interpreter is far more complex than repeating what you believe a legal professional or medical practitioner is trying to say. Translators and interpreters need to be able to repeat everything that is said through them, clearly, with strict ethical guidelines.
That is why trained, certified interpreters in the region are vital as is advocating for more local courses provided so people can get the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) certification to better serve our multilingual community.
“What we’re trying to do is get rid of the language barrier, so that people who live anywhere in Australia, not just regional people, have the right to have access that anyone has. It’s not just for non-English speakers, but it’s also for English-speaking professionals,” said NAATI Project Manager Supporting the Profession, Fatih Karakas.
