HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (known as NAATI) is the national standards and accreditation body for translators and
interpreters Interpreting is a translational activity in which one produces a first and final target-language output on the basis of a one-time exposure to an expression in a source language. The most common two modes of interpreting are simultaneous inter ...
in Australia. NAATI's mission, as outlined in the NAATI Constitution, is to set and maintain high national standards in translating and interpreting to enable the existence of a pool of accredited translators and interpreters responsive to the changing needs and demography of the Australian community. The core focus of the company is issuing
certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
for practitioners who wish to work as translators and interpreters in Australia.


NAATI Certification

NAATI certification provides quality assurance to the consumers of translators and interpreting services and gives credibility to agencies that engage certified practitioners.


Previous NAATI credentials

There are some translators and interpreters who decided not to transition to the new certification scheme introduced by NAATI in January 2018. If there are no transitioned translators and interpreters available, translators and interpreters who hold older NAATI accreditation credentials, starting with the highest old credential, are still available. While these accreditation credentials do not have all the benefits of the new NAATI certification scheme and are not subject to its revalidation requirements, they do remain valid. These accreditation credentials are: * Senior Conference Interpreter * Conference Interpreter * Professional Interpreter * Professional Translator * Paraprofessional Interpreter * Recognition Those translation and interpreting professionals who opted out of transition to the new certification scheme introduced in 2018 have been accredited by NAATI in the years since NAATI was founded in 1977. They still hold perpetual accreditations not requiring revalidation. Since the certification system was introduced in 2018, practitioners accredited under the previous system who did not transition are not included in the NAATI online directory of credentialed language professionals.


Nil credentialed

Some interpreters hold none of the credentials outlined above and are referred to by the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) to as ‘Nil credentialed’. This generally occurs in very low demand languages where NAATI offers neither certification nor recognised practising status.


Organisation Structure

NAATI is a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, incorporated in Australia under the
Corporations Act 2001
'. The company is owned jointly by the
Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
, State and Territory governments of Australia. and is governed by a Board of Directors, who are appointed by the owners. The members of NAATI are the nine
ministers Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
who are responsible for multicultural affairs and/or
citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...
in the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. Members may appoint a representative to exercise any of their powers in relation to NAATI. These Member Representatives are separate to the NAATI board of directors.


Operational functions

NAATI provides eight key services to assist people to gain and maintain a credential to work as a translator or interpreter in Australia. These services include: * Testing for NAATI certification * Credentialed Community Language Test - ''language ability assessment at a community level, commonly used for immigration points in Australia''. * Community Language Aide - ''a test used in the public or private sector which recognises language ability in the workplace for the purpose of gaining a language allowance.'' * Skills assessments for migration purposes There are two types of NAATI credentials – Certification and Recognised Practicing NAATI certification is an acknowledgement that an individual has demonstrated the ability to meet the professional standards required by the translation and interpreting industry. NAATI assesses practitioners and aspiring translators and interpreters against these standards so that English speaking and non-English speaking Australians can interact effectively with each other. There are a couple of different ways you can gain NAATI accreditation, including: NAATI recognition is granted in emerging languages or languages with very low community demand for which NAATI does not offer certification. Recognised Practising Translators or Interpreters meet the minimum experience and ability to interact as translator or interpreter with the Australian community and has recent and regular experience with no defined skill level. The NAATI Recognised Practicing credential is not offered in languages where there is a pool of certified practitioners or if NAATI offers certification testing on a regular basis for that language,


Outline of NAATI credentials

Under NAATI's current system, there are ten different types of credentials. These are listed in the table below. NAATI certification for Translator is usually awarded in one of the following directions: * From a Language other Than English (LOTE) into English; or * From English into a LOTE; or * Both directions. NAATI certification for interpreters is awarded in both directions. Occasionally, NAATI has awarded a credential in a language combination that does not feature English at the Conference Interpreter or Advanced Translator level e.g. Advanced Translator French to German or Conference Interpreter (Senior) French to/from Russian. This sort of accreditation can only be awarded on the basis of a professional membership of an international association such as AIIC or AITC.


Example of the kind of document needing a NAATI-certified translation

Translations by a NAATI-certified translator are generally required by government authorities for immigration-related official documents, such as: - Payslips - Academic Transcripts - Bank Statements - Birth Certificates - Marriage Certificates - Death Certificates - Driving Licences - Divorce Certificates - Police Checks - Educational Qualifications


References


NAATI website

Brief explanation of difference between AUSIT and NAATI

How do I become an Auslan Interpreter (ASLIA)

Interpreter information (TIS National)

NAATI CCL Test Practice

HI-COM article regarding NAATI translations
{{authority control Translation organizations Language interpretation Accreditation organizations Government-owned companies of Australia