Applications are now open for the NSW Government’s Interpreter Scholarship Program which has already helped more than 265 people become qualified interpreters since it was introduced in 2019.
Successful scholarship recipients for new and emerging community languages will have their course fees paid, and upon graduation they will be provided with ongoing mentoring and casual employment by Multicultural NSW.
Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure said NSW is home to people that speak more than 215 different languages and dialects and he believes it is important to tap into that to create job opportunities for them and help them benefit their community.
People that can speak Afrikaans, Amharic, Bislama, Cook Islands Māori, Creole, Dari, Dinka, Ewe, Fijian, Hazaragi, Kannada, Karen, Karenni, Khmer, Kinyamulenge, Kirundi, Konyanka Maninka, Krio, Kurdish-Kurmanji, Lingala, Mongolian, Ndebele, Shona, Somali, Swahili, Tamil, Telugu, Tetum, and Tigrinya are all encouraged to apply for the program.
Mr Coure said these languages represent the communities that are growing as more newcomers settle in NSW.
“As people make the choice to come to live in NSW, we understand they may not be able to fully understand or be able to access services,” he said.
“That is why interpreters are so important – they help make our society more accessible to people with low or no proficiency in English and ensure they don’t get left behind.”
Students who successfully complete the course will also be eligible for certification as an interpreter through National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
Details: multicultural.nsw.gov.au.
Speak up if you’re interested
IF you have the skill to speak another language, then you may have the opportunity to pursue a career as an interpreter.