Aboriginal Interpreter Service
The Aboriginal Interpreter Service (AIS) helps to alleviate the language barriers faced by many Indigenous people throughout the Northern Territory.
More than Aboriginal 100 languages and dialects are spoken in the Territory, and many Indigenous Territorians speak English as their third or fourth language.
To effectively communicate in remote communities in the Territory you should use an interpreter. Employing an interpreter ensures your message is delivered accurately in a culturally appropriate manner, and is clearly understood.
Our services
We provide a 24 hours 7 days a week interpreting service in most Aboriginal languages and dialects spoken in the Northern Territory for government and non-government agencies.
Services include:
- face-to-face interpreting
- workshops on cross-cultural awareness and working with interpreters
- advice on preparing text for interpretation into Aboriginal languages.
Requests vary from interpreting text for posters and pamphlets to courtroom work. Interpreters are available for any assignment, onsite or over the phone, from short-term, one-off jobs to long-term contracts.
Employing more than 370 interpreters, AIS is one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people in Australia.
Our staff are highly experience in their specialist language(s) and, where possible, accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
In 2009, for the very first time, three AIS interpreters reached the professional level of accreditation. This is the first time in Australia that interpreters of Aboriginal languages were given the opportunity of sitting for this examination.
We now employ more than 60 interpreters that are accredited at the professional level.
Guidance and advice can be provided with appropriate language selection, dialects, language level and cultural considerations. We also offer cross cultural training and workshops on how to work effectively with an interpreter.
Our offices are located across the Territory in Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs, Wadeye, Maningrida, Yuendumu, Nhulunbuy, and will soon open in Groote Eylandt.
