DIMIA Annual Report 2004-05
Output 2.2-Translating and interpreting services
DESCRIPTION
The Translating and Interpreting Services Output will:
- Continue the move to a business like national Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) to provide the means of communication essential to a culturally and linguistically diverse society
- Provide a quality, responsive and professional service.
HIGHLIGHTS
Requests for telephone interpreting service continued to grow and the number of jobs completed was ten per cent above the Portfolio Budget Statements target. This target was raised from 350 000 for the previous financial year to 400 000 for 2004-05. The outstanding debt for TIS was further reduced by 31 per cent and is currently at a record low. There were two major system changes where TIS migrated to DIMIA Network from the AMEP Reporting and Management System Network and changed its financial management system from Oracle Government Financials (OGF) to Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing.
Working to provide a quality service.
2.2.1 DOCUMENT TRANSLATING
Figure 66: Performance information-Document translating
Objective
To provide a national service for the translation of settlement-related personal documents.
Description
Newly arrived migrants/refugees are provided with fee-free translations of settlement-related personal documents. Documents eligible for fee-free translation include documentation relating to identity and relationship, facilitation, education and employment. The Victorian Interpreting and Translating Service (VITS) LanguageLink is contracted to provide the translation service.
Analysis of performance
The performance target of 20 working days to complete translations and using National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)-accredited translators on 95 per cent of instances were both met comfortably.
The number of translations was 1900 below projected volumes, mainly because of the nature of the humanitarian intake and because many people are arriving without documentation.
The high-demand languages for translations were Arabic, Mandarin/Cantonese (Chinese), Russian, Persian, Spanish, Croatian, Serbian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian and French.
2.2.2 TELEPHONE INTERPRETING
Figure 67: Performance information-Telephone interpreting
Objective
To provide a national 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week telephone interpreting service to enable accessible, quality communication between English and community languages to individuals (migrants and others) and to government and non-government service deliverers.
Description
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) provides facilities that allow for a three-way conversation between English-speaking and non-English-speaking parties and a TIS interpreter through the use of a national telephone number-131 450. TIS also provides priority lines for emergency services and medical practitioners.
Analysis of performance
A total of 658 100 telephone enquiries were received in the TIS national contact centre. From this call volume a total of 441 952 telephone interpreting assignments were delivered, compared to a projection of 400 000 assignments. The target was revised upwards in 2004-05 from 350 000 to reflect the growth in call assignments being received in the contact centre. Since the consolidation of TIS offices into a single contact centre in Melbourne in early 2002, overall call assignments have increased by 53 per cent.
This growth in call volumes and the continuing decline in the delivery of on-site services indicate that the TIS client base is increasingly using the more cost-effective telephone interpreting service.
The percentage of tasks to be undertaken by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)-accredited/recognised interpreter was increased from 85 to 90 per cent this year to reflect improved access to NAATI accredited/recognised interpreters for work allocation. This measure was met comfortably. The high-demand languages were Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin/Cantonese (Chinese), Korean, Serbian, Turkish, Persian, Spanish and Russian. Russian replaced Greek in the languages in greatest demand this year.
TIS continues to make special efforts to recruit interpreters in new and emerging languages for which interpreters are in short supply. TIS was able to recruit a total of 48 additional interpreters who are able to speak 105 different languages/dialects, primarily African languages. The majority of these additional interpreters are not NAATI-accredited at this stage but TIS is encouraging them to upgrade their interpreting qualifications. NAATI is not able to offer professional accreditation in all of the new and emerging languages at this stage, but this is expected to change as these communities become more established in Australia.
Coordinating another TIS request.
2.2.3 ON-SITE INTERPRETING
Figure 68: Performance information-On-site interpreting
Objective
To provide interpreters for face-to-face interpreting assignments.
Description
Where a client requires a face-to-face interpreting assignment, the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) arranges for an interpreter to attend at the specified location and time.
Analysis of performance
On-site interpreting requests continued to decrease. A total of 46 575 on-site interpreting assignments were completed in 2004-05, compared with 49 200 assignments in 2003-04. The decrease in demand in 2004-05 (2600) was considerably smaller in volume compared to 2002-03 (15 500).
Reasons for this continuing decline in demand included:
- the continuing low demand for on-site interpreters associated with the processing of applications for protection by asylum seekers
- competitors capturing market share by offering lower prices
- clients moving towards telephone interpreting as a more cost-effective service.
The percentage of assignments to be undertaken by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) accredited/recognised interpreter has increased from 85 to 90 per cent. TIS achieved 87 per cent for the year compared to 89 per cent last year. This change in performance reflects the make-up of assignments, with a greater proportion of jobs coming from new and emerging community languages. Because of the time taken to achieve NAATI accreditation or recognition for new and emerging languages, a higher proportion of assignments in these languages negatively impacts performance against this measure.
The high-demand languages for on-site services were Arabic, Vietnamese, Serbian, Mandarin/Cantonese (Chinese), Persian, Bosnian, Turkish, Dari (Afghani) and Spanish.