Output 2.2 - Translating and interpreting service
Description
This output is delivered through the national Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) located in Melbourne.
TIS provides:
- a quality, responsive, and professional service
- the means of communication essential to a culturally and linguistically diverse society through a business-oriented national Translating and Interpreting Service.
Highlights
There was strong growth in the demand for our telephone interpreting services, with the 501 000 services provided being 25.25 per cent above the Portfolio Budget Statement estimate of 400 000.
A new contract for Telstra to supply telephony services to TIS for the next three to five years was signed in June 2006. This contract gives greater clarity to the relationship between TIS and Telstra and allows for the growth in demand for telephone interpreting services in coming years.
TIS continued to promote the use of the Automated Telephone Interpreting Service (ATIS), which is available in our 18 high demand languages. In line with our marketing targets, use of ATIS rose 121 per cent in 2005-06 with a 261 per cent growth in private sector use. Several major clients now promote the service as their preferred way of engaging interpreter services.
TIS conducted a client satisfaction survey as part of its ongoing commitment to providing a quality service responsive to the needs of its clients. It will incorporate responses from the survey in its service delivery planning, along with feedback from clients and stakeholders received through our annual promotional programme.
Outstanding debts declined to $649 000 at the end of 2005-06 which was a reduction of 28 per cent on the start of the year.
During 2005-06 approximately 200 new clients a month accessed TIS with nearly half of these clients being medical practitioners.
2.2.1 Document translating
Objective
The objective is to provide a national service for the translation of settlement-related personal documents.
Table 61: Performance information - Document translating
| Measures | Results |
| Quantity | |
| Number of documents to be translated - 10 000 | 7763 documents translated. |
| Quality | |
| 90 per cent of fee-free translations will be processed within 20 working days of request | 93 per cent of fee-free translations within 20 working days of request. |
| 95 per cent of translating jobs will be done by a NAATI accredited/recognised translator | 100 per cent of translating jobs done by an accredited/recognised translator. |
Description
We provided newly arrived migrants and humanitarian entrants with fee-free translations of settlement-related personal documents.
Analysis of performance
In 2005-06 we translated 7763 documents which was below the projected volume of 10 000. This was due to the nature of the humanitarian intake, with many people arriving without documentation. The result was a decrease on the 8101 documents translated in 2004-05.
The high-demand languages for translations were Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Farsi (Persian), Vietnamese, French, Serbian, and Chinese.
We met 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 translations.
2.2.2 Telephone interpreting
Objective
The objective is to provide a national 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week telephone interpreting service to enable accessible, quality communication between English and community languages to individuals (migrants and others), and government and non-government service providers.
Table 62: Performance information - Telephone interpreting
| Measures | Results |
| Quantity | |
| Number of telephone interpreting calls - 400 000 | 501 000 telephone interpreting calls. |
| Quality | |
| 90 per cent of calls will be answered by a TIS operator within 30 seconds, and a telephone interpreter in a major community language will be provided within three minutes | 84 per cent of calls answered by a TIS operator within 30 seconds.
91 per cent of calls connected to a telephone operator in a major community language within 3 minutes. |
| 90 per cent of interpreter jobs will be done by a NAATI accredited/recognised interpreter | 91 per cent of interpreter jobs done by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) accredited operator. |
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. The service also provides priority lines for emergency services and medical practitioners.
Analysis of performance
During 2005-06 the volume of telephone interpreting services delivered increased significantly from 2004-05, from 441 952 to 501 000. The number of telephone services was 25.25 per cent above the projected target of 400 000, maintaining the growth experienced since TIS offices were consolidated into the single Contact Centre in Melbourne in early 2002.
Factors contributing to this growth include new business and client recognition of the availability of a timely telephone interpreting service that is both cost effective and suitable to their needs.
The establishment of a priority line for TIS was negotiated during 2005-06 with the Australian Taxation Office to ensure increased efficiency and reduced costs both to TIS and the client agency. TIS consequently will benefit from reduced call backs and waiting times.
A consequence of the surge in demand for telephone interpreting services was that the number of calls answered by a TIS operator within 30 seconds declined to 84 per cent. This is below the target measure of 90 per cent. Other factors contributing to the delays in response times included an almost 100 per cent operator turnover in the Contact Centre since October 2005, and intermittent system problems. Yet despite this, an interpreter in a major community language was provided within three minutes for 91 per cent of calls, meeting the target measure of 90 per cent.
Another factor with the potential to mitigate delays in Contact Centre response times is the increased use of the Automated Telephone Interpreting Service. A new marketing strategy was implemented for the service for 2005-06 resulting in a 121 per cent increase in usage of this service from 2004-05.
Interpreters accredited or recognised by the NAATI undertook 91 per cent of interpreting tasks, which is above the target measure of 90 per cent. This measure supports TIS's focus on quality assurance in providing interpreting services, which also includes a complaints handling process and a feedback panel to receive and action client concerns.
The high-demand languages were Mandarin, Arabic, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Korean, Turkish, Farsi (Persian), Spanish, Serbian, and Russian.
TIS continued its commitment to recruiting interpreters in new and emerging languages for which interpreters are in short supply. A total of 113 new interpreters were recruited during 2005-06 including 44 interpreters in new and emerging African languages.
2.2.3 On-site interpreting
Objective
The objective is to provide interpreters for face-to-face interpreting assignments.
Table 63: Performance information - On-site interpreting
| Measures | Results |
| Quantity | |
| Number of on-site interpreting visits - 48 000 | 43 473 on-site interpreting visits. |
| Quality | |
| 85 per cent of requests for an on-site interpreter will result in a confirmed appointment within three working days | 91 per cent of requests resulted in a confirmed appointment within three working days. |
| 90 per cent of interpreter jobs will be done by a NAATI accredited/recognised interpreter | 86 per cent of interpreter jobs done by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) accredited/recognised interpreter. |
Description
The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) arranges for interpreters to attend, at specific locations and times, where a client requires a face-to-face interpreting assignment.
Analysis of performance
The number of onsite interpreting requests continued to decrease in 2005-06 with 43 473 onsite interpreting assignments completed, compared with 46 575 in 2004-05. This represented a slightly greater decline in volume when compared to 2003-04 (49 200).
The continuing decline in demand for on-site interpreting can be attributed to:
- clients moving towards telephone interpreting, including the Automated Telephone Interpreting Service (ATIS), as a more cost-effective service
- lower demand for onsite services associated with processing of applications for protection by asylum seekers.
The percentage of assignments expected to be undertaken by an interpreter accredited/recognised by the NAATI is 90 per cent. TIS achieved 86 per cent for 2005-06 compared with 87 per cent in 2004-05. The change in performance in the last few years reflects the nature of assignments, where a greater proportion of assignments requiring on-site interpreters are coming from new and emerging community languages, reflecting the changing composition of the humanitarian entry programme. Due to the time involved in achieving NAATI accreditation or recognition for interpreters in new and emerging languages, a higher proportion of assignments in these languages negatively impacts on performance against this measure.
The high-demand languages for onsite services were Vietnamese, Arabic, Serbian, Mandarin, Farsi (Persian), Cantonese, Turkish, Bosnian, Spanish, and Dari (Afghani).