The Australian Government has launched a new online training course to improve access to qualified interpreters in regional, rural and remote communities.
The new course, Interpreting Skills for NAATI Certification, was developed with $150,000 in federal funding and will help address shortages of credentialed interpreters in new and emerging languages.
The course is now being offered by RMIT and TAFE SA and is a Vocational Education and Training course compliant with the Australian Qualifications Framework. It includes four units from the Diploma of Interpreting, covering ethics, discourse management, professional development and preparation for assignments.
Federal Assistant Minister for Children and Families, Dr David Gillespie, said the new course would help strengthen the delivery of interpreter services in Australia.
“This Interpreting Skills for NAATI Certification course is a first of its kind and has been specifically designed to boost the number of interpreters available for new migrants who settle in Australia,” Minister Gillespie said.
“In a nation where a quarter of our population was born overseas, interpreters provide a crucial service by integrating migrants into society, for example conveying complex medical or legal information or simply helping someone make an everyday transaction.”
There is already high demand for the course, with the first intake that commenced last week fully subscribed. Future course dates will be published on the RMIT and TAFE SA websites as they become available.