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Interview with Niki Baras, Translators and Interpreters Australia – A Division of Professionals Australia
Dr. Oktay Eser
Amasya University, Turkey
Dr. Miranda Lai
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), Australia
Niki Baras
Translator and Interpreter Division of Professionals Australia
All views or conclusions are those of the authors of the articles and not necessarily those of the editorial staff or the publisher.
Abstract
Niki Baras represents the Translator and Interpreter Division of Professionals Australia, an amalgamated organization representing professionals from various fields with a mission to ensure their work is recognised and rewarded appropriately. This interview looks at the social status, respect and sustainability issues of community interpreters in Australia from an industrial point of view. After a brief overview of how the Translator and Interpreter Division came about under the organization, Niki explains the historical contexts in which the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters in Australia was founded in 1977. After more than 40 years of development, community interpreting in Australia has become unsustainable due to poor working conditions, low social status, and the prevalence of unqualified interpreters. Niki believes in the earlier model under which government took charge of organizing and running its own public service interpreting services. She also urges community interpreters to stand up for themselves. At the end, she focuses on the code of ethics as one of the features that makes community interpreting a profession.
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