Interpreters transfer a spoken or signed language into another spoken or signed language, usually within a limited time frame in the presence of the participants requiring the translation.

Skill Level

1

Specialisations

• Kai Whakaruruhau (Advisor) (NZ)

Unless you are exempt in very limited circumstances, you are required to have a positive Skills Assessment to apply for the visas listed above.

Skills Assessment authority for Interpreter is National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI). To have a positive skills assessment, you must meet the following criteria:

• NAATI require that applicants gain NAATI Certification through testing to obtain a positive skills assessment
• Interpreters are required to complete NAATI’s Certified Interpreter Test (the Test) to have their skills and competencies objectively assessed for practice in Australia
• The Test comprises the eight following tasks:
  • Two Dialogues
    • Interpreting face-to-face dialogue
    • Interpreting remote dialogue
  • Two Sight Translations
    • Sight translation into Language Other Than English (LOTE)
    • Sight translation into English
  • Four Monologues
    • Consecutive interpreting – monologue into LOTE
    • Consecutive interpreting – monologue into English
    • Simultaneous interpreting – monologue into LOTE
    • Simultaneous interpreting – monologue into English
  • The tasks will involve different contexts and will include at least one from the health domain and one from the legal domain
• NAATI have also developed a practice test to assist applicants to prepare
• NAATI also requires the following for a skills assessment:
  • Qualification assessed as comparable to Australian doctorate degree, Australian bachelor degree or Australian diploma or trade qualification; and
  • Skilled employment within the occupation of interpreter, at a professional level that is paid and continuous for a minimum of 20 hours per week; and
  • Work reference and proof of income must be provided for each skilled employment role

Research and study human behaviour, society and institutions from current and historical perspectives, and verbally render spoken statements, and transcribe text and recorded spoken material from one language into another.

Tasks

• Assembling historical data by consulting sources of information such as historical indexes and catalogues, archives, court records, diaries, newspaper files and other materials
• Organising, authenticating, evaluating and interpreting historical, political, sociological, archaeological, anthropological and linguistic data
• Undertaking historical and cultural research into human activity, and preparing and presenting research findings
• Providing simultaneous and consecutive verbal or signed renditions of speeches into another language
• Rendering the meaning and feeling of what is said and signed into another language in the appropriate register and style in a range of settings such as courts, hospitals, schools, workplaces and conferences
• Studying original texts and transcripts of recorded spoken material to comprehend subject matter and translating them into another language
• Rendering the meaning and feeling of written material, such as literary, legal, technical and scientific texts, into another language in the appropriate register and style, so that it will read as an original piece rather than as a translation

Skill Level

In Australia and New Zealand:

Most occupations in this unit group have a level of skill commensurate with a bachelor degree or higher (ANZSCO Skill Level 1).

Occupations in this Group

• 272411 Historian
• 272412 Interpreter
• 272413 Translator
• 272414 Archaeologist
• 272499 Social Professionals nec