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Queensland Government
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Queensland Health
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Queensland Health Interpreter Service

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The highest quality interpreters are engaged

Queensland Health prefers to engage the most qualified interpreters. This includes accredited or recognised interpreters and those who have completed Queensland Health's training for interpreters.

Accredited interpreters are those that have demonstrated the necessary skills and knowledge and operate within a professional code of ethics. This accreditation is provided by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) which has responsibility for setting and maintaining the standards of interpreting and translating in Australia.   

Queensland Health requires that accredited interpreters are engaged in the following order:

  1. NAATI accredited as professional interpreters with health training
  2. NAATI professional interpreter (Level 3)
  3. NAATI para-professional interpreter (Level 2)

For new languages to Australia, a language test for accreditation as an interpreter may not be available.  NAATI has organised testing that is based on English proficiency and people who pass this testing are awarded NAATI recognised interpreter status. Queensland Health aims to work with recognised interpreters over unaccredited interpreters for these new languages.

Training programs for interpreters are available on: 

Training programs are offered to interpreters each quarter at no cost to participants. Queensland Health's preference is to work with interpreters who have participated in this training. 

Click here for more information on Queensland Health training programs for interpreters.

 

NAATI has introduced Revalidation of Accreditation and Recognition as a means to retain the highest level of competency and currency among practitioners in interpreting profession. Revalidation of Accreditation and Recognition will reinforce the standards of initial NAATI accreditation and give increased confidence to the consumers of interpreting services. 

The new system will:

  • demonstrate that interpreters have maintained their skills through continuing work experience and have participated in professional development activities
  • foster long term sustainability and integrity of the interpreter profession.
  • demonstrate that the interpreter industry is joining other professions in ensuring interpreting standards are maintained and enhanced
  • be promoted as a preferred standard for the profession.

The Queensland Health Interpreting Service will include revalidation in its process for allocating interpreter requests.

Based on information in Revalidation Keeping a Professional Edge NAATI March 2007.

Health Service District Interpreter Service Coordinators are responsible for checking that the interpreter is acceptable to the person involved (particularly for gender and cultural preference and where people have concerns about confidentiality in small communities arise). The Health Service District Interpreter Service Coordinator will rely on information provided by staff requesting the booking for this.

When you have an appointment with a Queensland Health service, please provide as accurate information as possible to the staff responsible for booking interpreters, for example tell them if you have a gender or a cultural preference for the interpreter. You will need to do this for each appointment as Queensland Health is a large organisation and many different staff are involved in providing services.

Queensland Health has also put arrangements in place so that all interpreters providing services for Queensland Health understand and comply with the interpreter industry’s Code of Conduct and privacy requirements, particularly those relating to confidentiality.

What is the difference between interpreter recognition and accreditation?

  • Recognition is a separate award, with no specification of level of proficiency.
  • Recognition is only granted for the languages not tested by NAATI. Should the demand for services of interpreters in the recognised language increase to the level where the marketplace requires accredited interpreters, NAATI will establish an examination panel and begin to test and accredit interpreters in that language.
  • Recognition is valid only from the date of the initial award until such time as NAATI offers the opportunity to obtain accreditation by testing.
  • Recognition does not have equal status to accreditation because NAATI has not had the opportunity to testify by formal assessment of the applicant's standard of performance.
  • Recognition is in fact purely an acknowledgement, at the time of the award that the candidate has had recent and reasonably regular experience as an interpreter, but no level of proficiency is specified.
  • Both recognised and accredited interpreters comply with Code of Conduct and privacy requirements.

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Last Updated: 20 May 2011
Last Reviewed: 20 May 2011