About AUSIT

 The Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators Inc. (AUSIT) is a not-for-profit organisation financed almost entirely by membership fees, with occasional project-based sponsorships or grants. The Institute is governed by an elected National Council composed of President, General Treasurer, General Secretary Vice-President, Immediate Past President and a representative from each of the six state branches. A secretariat based in Melbourne handles general enquiries, membership applications and referrals. The majority of funds go towards financing administration, maintaining the website and publishing a quarterly newsletter. State branches receive a small annual contribution enabling them to run the otherwise self-funded CPD and networking activities they organise for local members.

Founded in 1987 from the amalgamation of several small professional groups, AUSIT is now a vibrant organisation with around 800 members in all Australian states and territories and from around the world.

 

The Institute's overall objective is to promote the profession and to enhance the quality of the delivery of translation and interpreting services. To achieve its goals, AUSIT seeks collaboration with individuals or entities interested in the profession, such as NAATI: the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. 

 

AUSIT is a member of the International Federation of Translators (FIT) and of Professions Australia, formerly known as the Council of Professions. Working together with other professional organisations and organisations using the services of T&I practitioners, T&I agencies and various educational institutions, AUSIT thrives to uphold the highest standards in the profession.

 

Members of the Institute are regularly engaged for high-calibre assignments worldwide and have been working at The Hague International Tribunal, the Sydney Olympics, the Kyoto Climate Conference, APEC, World Bank etc.

 

The CPD system developed by AUSIT served as a model for the UK’s  Institute of Translators and Interpreters (ITI), and the AUSIT Code of Ethics is firmly embedded in the curriculum of several overseas universities besides being adopted by major government language service providers and many private agencies Australia-wide.

 

AUSIT provides a forum for the advancement and study of translation and interpreting by running workshops, conferences, training courses and professional development seminars, and also by enabling practitioners to create the communication network needed to support one another to advance in their profession. In an industry that by its very nature is often solitary, AUSIT provides Australian translators and interpreters with a true peer community and gives them a voice to converse with partners in the sector as well as a representation when liaising with the government in Australia and in the international arena.

 

AUSIT offers support to aspiring professionals and members with information on industry-related matters, collective insurance arrangements, networking opportunities and ongoing exchange of information via 20 language-specific e-forums where work, ideas and resources can be exchanged and debated.

 

The Institute also provides channels of communication with government agencies and international associations.

 

AUSIT provides advice to users of T/I services and the general public through its comprehensive website www.ausit.org, a telephone information service for general enquiries (1800 284 181), and the “Getting it Right” brochures which inform and guide users of interpreting or translation services.

 

The AUSIT website features general information and an up-to-date online directory of practising professional translators and interpreters, who are bound by the AUSIT Code of Ethics.

In 2004 AUSIT launched its Excellence Award program in the Victoria/Tasmania branch. The initiative was expanded to the whole of Australia with National Excellence Awards taking place every alternate year beginning in 2007.

 

State branches of the Institute take turns in hosting national events. A very successful AUSIT Biennial National Conference was held in Perth in 2002. Members of the Western Australian Branch of AUSIT are excited to have the opportunity to organise this much-awaited highlight in the life of the interpreting and translating community again in 2010. It is a great honour to welcome so many colleagues and other participants from all over Australia and overseas for two busy days of sharing knowledge, networking and professional development, and also to discover the unique attractions of our vast state.