Recent health and climate-related crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the October 2022 floods, have highlighted the important role played by volunteer community interpreters and translators in providing much needed language assistance to multicultural communities based in regional areas. Despite their dedication and valuable assistance, community interpreters and translators often lack formal training and certification, leading to ethical concerns regarding service quality, employment opportunities, and occupational health and safety risks.
To address these issues, the IMPARO (Interpreting Mentoring and Professional Advancement Regional Opportunities) project was initiated in 2022 after a decade of interpreting and translation training by Monash University in the Greater Shepparton region.
Rather than deliver further one-off training sessions, the project sought to take a step back and identify sustainable training solutions tailored specifically to regionally-based community interpreters and translators.
The IMPARO project was a pilot initiative supported by an internal Seed Industry Partnership grant from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology. NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) and Wise Well Women were collaborators in this project.
Data collected as part of the IMPARO research project revealed that community interpreters and translators in the region are enthusiastic about obtaining NAATI certification, with 100% of participants in our scoping survey (October 2022) expressing interest in taking the NAATI certification test. The major challenge identified was the lack of training opportunities tailored to their specific need (i.e. taking into consideration issues such as training costs, travelling distance, and clashes with other work or family commitments).
Monash University's Action Lab and Monash Intercultural Lab joined forces to work with over 20 community interpreters and translators from 11 different language groups in the Greater Shepparton region. On 27-28 June 2023, they conducted a two-day collaborative workshop at the Mooroopna Education and Activity Centre (MEAC), where participants were asked to identify issues with current training opportunities and explore potential solutions. Additionally, Monash University organised a webinar with a NAATI representative to present the NAATI certification system and give participants the opportunity to ask their questions directly.
The IMPARO project seeks to achieve both short-term and long-term outcomes. In the short term, the research team has produced a project report and developed a toolkit of accessible resources for community interpreters and translators. The toolkit aims to help them improve their practices, strengthen their knowledge of the code of ethics and conduct as well as help with preparation for the NAATI test. The long-term goal that emerged from the research project is the need to create a NAATI-endorsed training course, facilitated by Monash educators and community trainers. This will be a hybrid course with both online and in-person components to provide regionally-based interpreters and translators with comprehensive and tailored training. We are currently seeking funding opportunities to develop this course in collaboration with community advisors.
The IMPARO project is a significant step towards empowering community interpreters and translators in the Greater Shepparton region. By advocating for more training opportunities, this project strives to enhance the quality of language assistance, create fair employment opportunities, and ensure the well-being of these invaluable contributors to Victoria’s multicultural communities.
Monash University's commitment to this project, along with the collaboration of stakeholders, sets a positive precedent for future endeavours in empowering language professionals across regional areas with the aim of fostering inclusive and thriving communities.