Language barriers can be a major hurdle for some South Australians, robbing them of the ability to make informed decisions about medical treatment, education, legal and other important matters.

The State Government is hoping to help overcome some of these obstacles and has launched a recruitment drive for interpreters and translators to help bridge the language gap.

It is the role of interpreters to interpret the spoken word in real-time situations, while translators translate text from one language to another.

The state-run Interpreting and Translating Centre’s (ITC) search for bi-lingual staff is focusing on the top five languages where there is a shortage of trained interpreters. These languages include Greek, Italian, Spanish, Khmer and Nepali.

The ITC, part of the Department of Human Services, hopes to recruit people who are:
*fluent in any of these languages and English have a passion to help others in the community
*would like to work on a casual basis
*and be willing to get officially qualified for the job.
In many cases being an interpreter can make a world of difference to a person in need. For instance, when refugees arrived from Afghanistan in 2021, it was the ITC’s
interpreters who met them at the airport and helped them settle into Medi-hotels.

While the five languages mentioned are the ITC’s current recruiting focus, people who are fluent in other languages are also welcome to apply. The ITC covers more than 100 languages and receives as many as 270 interpreting requests on any given day. They also offer translation services in more than 60 languages.

Anyone interested in becoming a casual interpreter or translator for the ITC can visit the ITC website, translate.sa.gov.au (choose the Working for ITC tab) for more information.

Quotes

Attributable to Nat Cook

The vast majority of interpreting requests come when people need medical care and are not able to fully understand what is being explained to them due to language barriers.

I want to encourage people who are bilingual or multi-lingual to consider working as an interpreter.

We know that there are people in our community who care for others and who have the language skills to help people find their way through challenging and other life decisions including aged, child and health care, to legal, employment and other choices and decisions.

By becoming an official interpreter, you can earn an income, or additional income, using those skills while helping others. I encourage anyone interested to visit the ITC website.

Attributable to interpreter Teo Spiniello

Interpreting gives back in a way which empowers clients/users to take control of their situation and make informed decisions in all aspects of life, not just in medical/ legal settings, but in other areas as well.

Giving people this tool, which is, I believe a right, enables them to make decisions just like English speaking citizens of this country. Being part of that empowerment is important for me as an interpreter.

Language is knowledge, not just words but culture, heritage and so much more. I know there are many bi-lingual people in Australia, yet going that extra bit to perfect one’s command of your second or third language opens up many more opportunities not only in Australia, but the world.