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If you’re talking to Aboriginal people, whether in a town or out in a community, chances are you need to engage the services of an interpreter. Many Aboriginal people do not speak English as their first or second language. Many people speak traditional languages as well as Kriol and Aboriginal English. Today, a majority of young regional Aboriginal people grow up speaking Kriol and only learn English at school.

Using untrained people, such as family members, friends, liaison officers etc. in the place of an interpreter is taking an unnecessary risk that may lead to vital consequences. It is likely they do not have expertise in your field and could easily make grave mistakes. They are not trained to seek clarification about unfamiliar language or obscure terminology, and they are not bound by a professional National Standard code of ethics, namely accuracy, confidentiality, impartiality, and professionalism. They may inadvertently prompt or give advice to the client or speak for them detrimental to required processes and two-way understanding.

Aboriginal people are very culturally and linguistically diverse. Being Aboriginal does not necessarily mean being able to speak Aboriginal languages from a particular region. There is more to interpreting than just being bilingual and it is unfair to expect your Aboriginal colleagues to fulfill the role of an interpreter when they have not received specialised training and may not have the language skills required.

The AUSIT National Standard Code of Ethics, focusing on impartiality, recognises the interpreter is impartial and does not take sides.

Simple English is not a good way to communicate essential information. Important information is often left out because it is too hard to explain in simple terms. In any case ’simple English’ still uses all the grammar that confuses non-English speakers. If you don’t understand Japanese, it won’t matter whether someone speaks to you in that language very quickly or very slowly, you still won’t know what they are talking about.

Many English terms and concepts do not have an Indigenous language equivalent. Interpreters need time to work out what the terms mean, especially technical terms and jargon, and how to ‘unpack’ and interpret them. The pre-assignment briefing allows the interpreter to ask questions about the subject matter of the session and about difficult terms in order to understand and interpret them properly.

If an interpreter has a certain type of relationship with a potential client, it may be inappropriate for him or her to take on the job of interpreting for that person.

We request information about a client (gender, skin name, family name, community, age) prior to an assignment so that we can select an appropriate interpreter. Interpreters are provided with this information and details of the job (eg police interview of person charged with assault) and asked whether they are able to carry out the assignment before being booked for it. The interpreters are screened for cultural and linguistic appropriateness prior to being engaged for each assignment.

Interpretaton is oral, translation is written. AIWA is an interpreting service only. We leave orthographies, dictionaries and written translations to the local Language Centres.

Kriol is a discrete language with its own structure and meanings. It should never be thought of as simply ‘bad English’. Kriol contains English words that may sound the same, but are used to convey different concepts, meaning and world view. It may sound like English but treating it as English will lead to serious miscommunication.

Click any question for more information:

Click any question for more information:

Do I need-an-Interpreter-in W.A. - Aboriginal Interpreting WA

If you’re talking to Aboriginal people, whether in a town or out in a community, chances are you need to engage the services of an interpreter. Many Aboriginal people do not speak English as their first or second language. Many people speak traditional languages as well as Kriol and Aboriginal English. Today, a majority of young regional Aboriginal people grow up speaking Kriol and only learn English at school.

Using untrained people, such as family members, friends, liaison officers etc. in the place of an interpreter is taking an unnecessary risk that may lead to vital consequences. It is likely they do not have expertise in your field and could easily make grave mistakes. They are not trained to seek clarification about unfamiliar language or obscure terminology, and they are not bound by a professional National Standard code of ethics, namely accuracy, confidentiality, impartiality, and professionalism. They may inadvertently prompt or give advice to the client or speak for them detrimental to required processes and two-way understanding.

Aboriginal people are very culturally and linguistically diverse. Being Aboriginal does not necessarily mean being able to speak Aboriginal languages from a particular region. There is more to interpreting than just being bilingual and it is unfair to expect your Aboriginal colleagues to fulfill the role of an interpreter when they have not received specialised training and may not have the language skills required.

The AUSIT National Standard Code of Ethics, focusing on impartiality, recognises the interpreter is impartial and does not take sides.

Simple English is not a good way to communicate essential information. Important information is often left out because it is too hard to explain in simple terms. In any case ’simple English’ still uses all the grammar that confuses non-English speakers. If you don’t understand Japanese, it won’t matter whether someone speaks to you in that language very quickly or very slowly, you still won’t know what they are talking about.

Many English terms and concepts do not have an Indigenous language equivalent. Interpreters need time to work out what the terms mean, especially technical terms and jargon, and how to ‘unpack’ and interpret them. The pre-assignment briefing allows the interpreter to ask questions about the subject matter of the session and about difficult terms in order to understand and interpret them properly.

If an interpreter has a certain type of relationship with a potential client, it may be inappropriate for him or her to take on the job of interpreting for that person.

We request information about a client (gender, skin name, family name, community, age) prior to an assignment so that we can select an appropriate interpreter. Interpreters are provided with this information and details of the job (eg police interview of person charged with assault) and asked whether they are able to carry out the assignment before being booked for it. The interpreters are screened for cultural and linguistic appropriateness prior to being engaged for each assignment.

Interpretaton is oral, translation is written. AIWA is an interpreting service only. We leave orthographies, dictionaries and written translations to the local Language Centres.

Kriol is a discrete language with its own structure and meanings. It should never be thought of as simply ‘bad English’. Kriol contains English words that may sound the same, but are used to convey different concepts, meaning and world view. It may sound like English but treating it as English will lead to serious miscommunication.