Volunteer translators and interpreters play a vital role in Shepparton but union says

Volunteer translators and interpreters play a vital role in Shepparton but union says there are significant risks

As the first Afghan nurse in Shepparton, Bushra Samadi is often asked by Afghans living in Shepparton for help with medical issues.

Sometimes to check a mole or a rash, sometimes for more immediate concerns.

One night Mrs Samadi was woken at 2am by a phone call.

The distressed caller was in the emergency department at the hospital and sounded in pain.

"She was at the triage desk and she wanted me to tell them that she's pregnant and she's bleeding and she wants help now," Mrs Samadi said.

"At times like that, you cannot say no, and you help them.

"The people in Shepparton, if they need help, they don't call TIS (Translating and Interpreting Service), they're going to call people that they know within their communities that they know are going to help them instantly.

"When someone speaks English they are just automatically a translator."

But there is more to translating than just being bilingual.

Seeking help from people they know
Professional interpreters and translators must complete three years of formal training and pass the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) exam.

Professionals Australia chief executive Jill McCabe said that multicultural communities must have access to translators and interpreters but that it wasn't a job for volunteers.

"Non-qualified individuals should not be referred to as translators or interpreters as this undervalues the skill, responsibility and professional requirements and status of qualified and certified providers," Ms McCabe said.

"Using non-professional volunteers creates significant risks for the volunteers and community members."

IMPARO, a Monash University research project, discovered that even when professional translators were available, like during the 2022 floods in Shepparton, local volunteers were often still preferred.

Project lead Margherita Angelucci said people often felt more comfortable talking to people they knew.

"With the certified translators and interpreters, there can be a level of shyness from the community," Dr Angelucci said.

The IMPARO project, developed in partnership with NAATI, aimed to find out why previous training courses hadn't resulted in more volunteer translators becoming certified, and to shape what future training is needed to prepare more locals to be eligible to take the NAATI test.

The development of new training programs will be dependent on funding. In the meantime, an online toolkit has been made available to non-professional interpreters and translators.

"We decided, OK, let's actually put some training resources together that people can access freely, and that's the toolkit," Dr Angelucci, said.

"An interim solution to make sure people who are still practising as translators and interpreters in the community do so in a safe way, in an ethical way."

Volunteers, community exposed to risks
But Ms McCabe said that having people that are untrained could be "a significant health and safety issue".

"Using volunteers who are not adequately trained and certified undermines the translators' and interpreters' profession," Ms McCabe said.

"It is highly exploitative and presents a significant risk to the volunteers and the community they seek to assist."

While there are many volunteers willing to take on the responsibility of an interpreter, Dr Angelucci said that shouldn't be the status quo.

These are non-professionals doing these jobs, they're doing it as volunteers, and sometimes they're more than happy to do it as volunteers but it can't be the norm because yes, it does carry some risks," Dr Angelucci said.

Mistranslation can be life-threatening in health care and can throw legal cases or visa applications into disarray.

There are personal risks for volunteers too. From the toll on their own mental health to legal implications.

"Imagine being blamed for something going wrong and they're telling you that it's your fault because you're not certified," Dr Angelucci said.

According to her research, non-professional interpreters and translators believe "if they were certified they'd be less taken advantage of and also more respected and they wouldn't be treated as the weak link in the chain".

Accreditation would mean these volunteers could charge for their services, but Mrs Samadi said she wouldn't.

"I don't see myself working as an interpreter because I have a really good job and I don't think I'll have time to work as a professional interpreter," Mrs Samadi said.

"I want to get NAATI certification because of the interpreting that I already do. I want to do that better."

NAATI national operations manager Michael Nemarich said certification assures consumers that the interpreter or translator employed has been tested at the highest level.

"Google translate has its place, and family and friends and community members have a place, but the skill level that a professional interpreter brings can be lifesaving," he said.

But Mr Nemarich acknowledged non-professional interpreters and translators did play an important role.

"There is always going to be a requirement and a desire for people to use bilingual friends, family, community members, particularly when there is a lack of interpreters around.

"In an emergency scenario to say you wouldn't have anyone unless they were professional, could mean that something even worse could happen."