The Northern Territory is one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world. And for the last 25 years, the Aboriginal Interpreter Service has played a key role in bridging the language barrier in the Northern Territory. From humble beginnings, the service now has 230 interpreters across 39 Aboriginal languages. But with demand as big as ever and there's calls for more support.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Working as an interpreter in the Territory for over 12 years,
00:06Shirlene Drover has done the hard yards.
00:09It does both ways, interpreting.
00:12It's not just only for our people, it's also for the services.
00:17For 25 years, the NT's Aboriginal Interpreter Service
00:21has provided vital assistance across various sectors,
00:25including hospitals, emergency services and housing.
00:29But servicing one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world
00:37isn't without its challenges.
00:40The problems at home and, you know, housing mainly
00:44and making it hard for them to come to work on a daily basis.
00:50So we're trying to support them as well as the young one coming through.
00:56With demand for the service high, especially in courtrooms,
01:00long-serving interpreters say there's an urgent need to boost the workforce.
01:05More training in that field.
01:08And, like, you've got health, you've got courts and other jobs that are really demanding.
01:18The NT government service is partly federally funded,
01:22with the Commonwealth investing nearly $6 million this financial year.
01:26Those funds are expected to continue to flow as part of their more than $840 million investment
01:33in the Territory's remote communities.
01:36The funding that we get from the Commonwealth is being used effectively right across the board,
01:41and we look forward to further training, further use of our interpreters.
01:46Bridging a gap in words.
01:48Bridging a gap in words.
01:49Bridging a gap in words.
01:53Bridging a gap in words.
01:57High illumination.
01:58Preparing a gap in words.
02:01Bridging a gap in words.
02:04Bridging a gap
02:14Bridging a gap in words.
02:19Bridging a gap in words.