Do you need help communicating with
non-English speakers?
The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) provides the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) for people who do not speak English and for the English speakers who need to communicate with them.
TIS National has access to more than 1,300 contracted interpreters across Australia, speaking more than 130 languages and dialects. In 2007–08 the high demand languages for interpreting were Arabic, Cantonese (Chinese), Dinka (Sudanese language), Kirundi (Birundi language), Korean, Mandarin (Chinese), Farsi, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese.
Contact TIS National on 131 450 – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Access to free services
TIS National’s free interpreting service enables communication between non-English speaking migrants and humanitarian entrants, who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, and the following approved individuals and organisations:
- non profit, non government community based
organisations, for case work and settlement
related services where the organisation does
not receive government funding to provide
these services - Members of Parliament for constituency
purposes - Local Governments for communication with
non-English speaking residents regarding goods
and services provided by Local Government - trade unions for members’ enquiries • Emergency Management Australia.
DIAC also provides access to free extract translations of settlement related personal documents to eligible individuals. More information regarding eligibility is available at www.immi.gov.au
For the cost of a local call, the Doctors Priority Line supplies medical practitioners in private practice providing Medicare rebatable services with access to an interpreter 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Interpreter recruitment
Recruitment activity in 2007–08 resulted in 159 interpreters being added to the TIS National interpreter panel. The new interpreters collectively speak 85 different languages and dialects.
Of these interpreters, 67 speak 52 different new and emerging community languages. These interpreters are critical to recently arrived people accessing services in Australia.
DIAC has provided funding to the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) to deliver the New Interpreters Project, which targets potential interpreters who speak new and emerging languages in metropolitan areas and those who speak high demand languages in rural and regional areas.
The project will subsidise NAATI preparatory workshops, NAATI application fees, NAATI testing/assessment fees and associated English language testing fees.
Interested parties should contact their local NAATI office or phone NAATI on 1300 557 470. *Copy supplied by DIAC
