Links with community: (Left to right) Furaha Baguma and Daniel Baguma.
A new Monash University research program aims to find a sustainable solution to the lack of training opportunities for community interpreters and translators in the Greater Shepparton area.
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The Monash Intercultural Lab has been running introductory interpreting courses in Shepparton for two consecutive years — funded by the Victorian Government — in collaboration with Wise Well Women Community Health Educators.
During the first weekend in October, a highly diverse group of participants came together at Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre. The languages spoken by the participants included Dari, Hazaragi, Arabic, Swahili, Kirundi, Dinka, Persian, Pashto, French, Luganda, Mashi, Lingala and Kikuya.
In addition to their jobs in factories, farms, schools and social services, many course participants regularly help their communities by acting as interpreters and translators. However, a lack of training opportunities in their local areas means they are often not eligible for recognition as professional interpreters and translators. Victorian Government policy strongly recommends engaging language professionals who are certified by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. But the reality is that, particularly for emerging language groups in regional areas, these certified professionals are few and far between and the language needs of community members often go unmet.
The 2021 census found that in Greater Shepparton, people speaking languages other than English at home increased to 17.6 per cent (12,065 people), with 2460 people who reported poor proficiency in English. This percentage is high compared to the rest of Regional Victoria, where 7.1 per cent of the population speak a language other than English at home.
Language skills: Shaza Alsmail discovers more about being an interpretor.
People from refugee and migrant communities in Shepparton have experienced social, economic, physical and mental health issues.
“My community needs interpreters and translators,” one of the participants in the research project said.
“Currently, Shepparton CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities are re-traumatised and they are not receiving the same opportunities, rights and access to services the rest of communities are receiving due to the shortage of interpreters and translators. Especially in accessing the NDIS, mental health and family violence services.”
Preliminary results from a survey included in the research found that community interpreters and translators are striving to become certified but they often encounter barriers that prevent them from doing so. Specifically, a lack of information about training and professional development opportunities, the lack of locally based training and the scarcity of online courses.
Initiatives such as the collaboration between Monash and Wise Well Women Community Health Educators are a lifeline for refugee and migrant communities in Shepparton and the surrounding areas, but researchers recognise the need to make them less sporadic and more rooted in the local social fabric.
Learning: (Left to right) Ahmad Al Abbassi, Eman Al Abbassi and Iman Al-Ali.
Led by the Monash Intercultural Lab and Action Lab, the new research project is about working with local bilingual workers, interpreters and translators to understand their training and professional development needs, and collaborate with them to co-design a future training program. The pilot program will engage postgraduate students of Interpreting, Translation and Intercultural Studies to mentor local bilingual workers to gain the necessary skills to be recognised as professional language practitioners. The broader aim is to create a community of practice that will mentor the next generation of interpreters and translators in their local communities.
