Tag: NAATI accreditation

Preparing Properly for the NAATI Test is the Best Route to NAATI Accreditation

Advantages of Professional Certifications and Accreditations

It is quite possible to survive as a translator or interpreter in Australia or New Zealand without certification or accreditation with a body like NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters). Still, the possibility of lucrative work and career prospects are very limited, even if your grasp of a second language other than your own is quite sound.

A career in translating or interpreting generally requires NAATI accreditation first and then a subsequent application for membership with one of the professional associations, like AUSIT or NZSTI. Respectively, these are the Australian Institute of Translators and Interpreters and the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters.

Professional accreditation and association membership are generally necessary if you intend to get a job as a translator or interpreter with one of the many agencies that provide professional translation or interpreting services. Translation and interpreting work for the government and large corporations also depends on NAATI accreditation.

Understanding the Difficulty of the NAATI Test and Factors Affecting Pass Rates

So, how hard is the NAATI test? The contradiction is that many people who sit the qualifying NAATI exam, particularly the exams for professional translators and professional interpreters actually fail. The pass rate is typically only around 10 to 12%.

Is the NAATI test difficult? The high failure rate in the NAATI test is a measure primarily of a lack of thorough preparation for the exam and unfamiliarity with the style of questions in the exam, rather than any suggestion that the NAATI professional exams are too difficult. It is entirely possible to pass the NAATI exam on the first attempt as long as the hard work of preparation for the exam has been done first of all.

How to pass the NAATI exam at the first go

There is no easy way to pass the NAATI exam at the first go apart from ensuring that you have completed all the course work related to the NAATI exam thoroughly first. Most courses that lead to professional translating and interpreting as a career are available at all major Australian and New Zealand universities. Completing a recognized translating or interpreting course at one of these institutions is the best guarantee of passing the NAATI exam on the first go rather than becoming one of the unfortunate 90-odd percent who have failed to prepare themselves first.

Like many exams, the NAATI exam is designed to ensure that your working knowledge of both your own native language and your second language is good enough to cope with the demands of professional translating and interpreting.

The NAATI coursework will certainly help to prepare you for the all-important NAATI exam. Most successful would be professional translators and interpreters who have not only mastered the complexities of a second language but have understood the particular demands of the profession they are aspiring to become part of.

As far as passing the NAATI exam goes, either for professional translating or interpreting, there are many NAATI exam samples to practice on and it is quite useful to take at least one or more NAATI practice tests. Your success in these practice tests and exams will give you an idea of whether it is feasible to take the final NAATI exam itself. NAATI accreditation is not cheap, so it does not make sense financially to sit the exam without making sure you have a good chance of passing it.

NAATI Course fees

NAATI sets a variety of fees depending on whether you intend to become an accredited translator or interpreter and at what level you intend to aim. There are introductory and more advanced levels, each of which has its own exams and fee structure.

In general, the higher the accreditation, the higher the fee. For example, the fee for the Certified Conference Interpreter, Certified Specialist Interpreter, and Certified Interpreter exams are currently 880 Australian dollars each, while the Certified Provisional Interpreter fee is 550 dollars. For translators, the exam fee for the Certified Advanced Translator level is 770 dollars, while the Certified Translator exam fee is 550 dollars.

NAATI does not actually run courses. These are provided by colleges and universities in selected cities. Courses are designed to lead to translation or interpreting exams set by NAATI. The course structure and fees for these courses can be determined by looking at the individual university or college websites. The fees tend to be similar but not necessarily exactly the same. Note that the course fees themselves are not necessarily the most expensive part of studying to be a translator or interpreter and often it is the accommodation and other expenses that determine just how much it costs to become a professional certified translator or interpreter. That means that the NAATI course fees in Perth, the NAATI course fees in Adelaide, and the NAATI course fees in Melbourne all seem to be similar, but the expense of staying in these cities can be quite different.

What is NAATI Accreditation and Recognition?

NAATI Accreditation and Recognition

Not all countries have strict rules for translators and interpreters, but Australia does. The organization that sets and monitors standards in this field is called the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). It is the body that provides the national standard and accreditation for translators and interpreters. Its aim is to seek to maintain high national standards in translating and interpreting to ensure there is a pool of talented and accredited translators and interpreters available to meet the demands for language translation in a multilingual country. The primary aim of NAATI is to issue credentials or accreditations that recognize the skills of translators and interpreters so that they can be employed in the community and those who employ them know that they will do a good job.

How to Get NAATI Accreditation?

There are several ways of getting NAATI accreditation

  • Sitting and passing a NAATI assessment test
  • Passing a course that has been NAATI approved
  • Providing proof of an overseas qualification in translating and interpreting at the tertiary level
  • Providing proof of membership of a translating professional body overseas.

NAATI recognition isn’t offered in all languages, particularly those that aren’t in high demand.  Once you have been granted NAATI recognition it is an acknowledgment that you have recent experience as a successful translator and/or interpreter.

There are a number of NAATI-approved translation and interpreting courses that are qualifications of at least a diploma level or higher. The courses are offered by certain Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education campuses that have been approved by NAATI as having the credentials to teach and assess the knowledge and skills needed in the translation environment. Anyone who gains a qualification at a NAATI-approved educational institution may file an application for NAATI accreditation without the necessity to undergo any more testing.

NAATI certified

Revalidating your Translating Credentials is a Requirement of NAATI

Accreditation from NAATI does have an expiry date. Every now and again if you have NAATI accreditation you are required to produce evidence that you have been working as a translator and have been involved in professional development. This evidence is sufficient to revalidate your credentials for the following 3 years.

Why NAATI Accreditation is Useful for Immigration

NAATI accreditation isn’t just there to prove you can translate. It can help those wishing to migrate to Australia in a number of ways, including the following.

  • It is part of a skills assessment for those migrants or workers who are sponsored by an employer or who have been nominated for employment by a territory or state government.
  • Accreditation is a qualification that points can be claimed for in the skill category as a translator or interpreter, which is particularly useful for a migration visa that is accessible on gaining a certain number of points.
  • NAATI accreditation can also be used for the migration visa that’s based on points called the Credentialled Community Language (CCL) points.

The 1994 Migration Regulations has allocated NAATI as the assessment authority for the interpreter and translator occupations. If you file an application for your skills to be assessed, NAATI will offer to provide an assessment of your skills in two categories, which are either as “suitable” or “unsuitable” for your specific occupation as either a translator or interpreter, i.e. NAATI professional-level accreditation or higher.

Benefits of NAATI Test Clearance

It’s not too difficult to understand that if you have NAATI accreditation it will help with your migration application by accumulating much-needed points.

Why do I Need my Documents Translated by a NAATI Accredited Translator?

NAATI Certified Document

It is a requirement of most Australian government departments including the Department of Immigration and Border Protection, which handles visa applications,  that all documents that are not in English must be translated by a NAATI translator for anyone who wishes to apply in one of the migration categories to reside in Australia (assuming the translation is getting done in Australia). That means if you have important documents like birth and marriage certificates that are not in English they must be translated by a NAATI translator before they are presented as part of your migration documentation. There are other documents that might fall into this category, including degree and diploma certificates, past employer references, and medical examination documents completed in another language that’s not English.

Types of NAATI Accreditation

Under NAATI’s present system, there are 10 different kinds of accreditation, which are listed below.

Conference Interpreter (Senior)

This is the highest level of accreditation for NAATI accreditation. It shows the person has an excellent level in conference interpreting which has been recognized by extensive experience and success in this area.

Advanced Translator

This is NAATI translating accreditation at the highest level. It shows an excellent level in specialized translation, gained through not only extensive experience but international leadership in translation too. 

Conference Interpreter

This shows the ability to interpret in complicated, technical, and sophisticated situations. Conference interpreters work in situations where high-level negotiations are underway and at court proceedings.

Advanced Translator

This sort of competence level is necessary when handling the more complex, technical, and more sophisticated translations. Often an advanced translator will work on technical manuals, will translate research papers, conference documents, and work on documents related to higher-level negotiations and on documents related to court proceedings.

Professional Interpreter

This group represents the lowest level of competence for interpreting as recommended by NAATI for working in many different environments including the areas of law, banking, health, community, and social services. A professional interpreter is capable of interpreting in semi-specialized environments and is able to use the consecutive mode in order to interpret presentations and speeches.

Professional Translator

This represents the minimum level of competence for professional translating and is the minimum level recommended by NAATI for work in settings including banking, law, health, social, and community services. Translators at this level work across a wide range of subjects involving documents with specialized content.

Para-professional Interpreter

This accreditation is the competence level in interpreting for general conversations. Para-professional interpreters usually participate in the interpretation of dialogues that are non-specialist. Practitioners who have been accredited at this level are generally encouraged to get professional-level accreditation if they can.

Para-professional Translator

This is the competence level necessary for undertaking translations of non-specialized information such as a birth certificate. A practitioner at this level could get a more professional level accreditation when ready to do so.

Recognized Interpreter

This credential doesn’t have a specified proficiency level. All recognized interpreters should try to get a higher level of accreditation.

Recognized Translator

This is a NAATI credential that acknowledges the date of the award the translator has had regular and recent experience working as a translator with no particular proficiency level specified.

How NAATI Translator Accreditation is Awarded at a Minimum of a Professional Level

  • from a language other than English (LOTE) into English;
  • from English into a LOTE;
  • in both directions.

NAATI Exam Questions

There are kits you can buy to prepare you for the NAATI exam questions which include materials relevant for your area as follows:

For a Paraprofessional Interpreter, a Test Kit Includes:

  • a complete set of dialogue and questions which are similar to replicate a NAATI test;
  • 2 extra practice dialogues;
  • suggested question answers;
  • a CD that includes a sample test with practice dialogues;
  • an interpreter’s handbook.

For a Professional Interpreter Sample Test, Each Kit:

  • is available in all languages;
  • includes a script of a complete test  with questions, sight translation, dialogues, and consecutive tasks;
  • includes two extra dialogues for practicing;
  • has 2 additional practice consecutive passages for practice; I am into English while the other is into LOTE
  • has a CD that includes 2 extra practice sight translation passages
  • includes an interpreter’s handbook

The Paraprofessional Translator Practice Kit:

  • is available in certain languages only;
  • is a script of 1 set of translation passages;
  • contains ethics questions found in a NAATI test;
  • includes 2 extra practice passages in the 2 languages and in both directions;
  • includes a translator’s handbook.

The Professional Translator Sample Test Includes:

  • sample tests in most languages;
  • a script of 1 whole set of translation passages;
  • ethics questions similar to a NAATI test in both language directions;
  • sample translations and answers to ethics questions;
  • 3 extra practice passages in each language in both directions;
  • extra ethics questions.

Summary

The NAATI translator accreditation is a service that benefits all involved in the translation industry. It accredits translators and interpreters so they can prove their expertise in their field and have a better chance of employment. It helps organizations, such as the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, ensure that potential immigrants have the required credentials to enter the country. It also ensures that NAATI translators and interpreters keep up their standards by insisting on revalidation of NAATI status every 3 years. All in all, NAATI accreditation is the envy of countries throughout the world.

Visa Documents Translations – What You Need To Know

Working with a NAATI accredited translator can help to make the visa application process run much more smoothly.  Unless you have a strong reason for preferring a translator from one part of the country, for example a translator in Melbourne if you need local knowledge of that area, then NAATI accreditation is the key point to look for.

Rubber stamp - Visa

Translations and online applications

It is still possible to use a translator if you plan to make an online application.  You will simply have to copy and paste the translated document into the relevant parts of the application form.  At current time there are only some visas for which online application is possible although it is reasonable to assume that this will change in the future.  It’s worth noting that even online applications often need supporting documentation sent by snail mail.

Choosing a good translator

In translation terms a good translator is one who will convey your message clearly and accurately and who will make sure that they understand not only your words but also your intention before they convert them into English.  NAATI accreditation is a seal of approval for technical efficiency, the issue then becomes one of professionalism and reliability.  Unless there is a strong reason for preferring a translator from a particular geographical area, for example a translator in Melbourne if you intend to visit that area and may wish to use their services for other purposes, then you are free to check online for candidates and agencies who meet your requirements.  Word-of-mouth recommendations and client testimonials are much more valuable than rock-bottom prices.

Be ready to answer questions

A professional translator will want to create the best translation possible and will consider it vital that they completely understand your source text.  If they don’t they will want you to clarify it before they start to translate.  The more promptly you respond, the quicker and more accurately they will be able to translate your document.