The Northern Territory's Aboriginal Interpreter Service, which assist people every day across one of the most linguistically diverse areas in the world, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Beginning in 2000, the AIS has grown to about 60 ongoing staff, as well as 230 contracted interpreters, who provide service across 39 Aboriginal languages, from Warlpiri, Gurindji, and East Side/West Side Kriol in Katherine to Yolŋu Matha, Murrinh-Patha, Anindilyakwa, Kunwinjku, Burarra and Maung across the vast expanses of the Top End.
AIS has grown to about 60 ongoing staff and over 230 contracted interpreters providing a service across 39 Aboriginal languages, and on Thursday in Alice Springs/Mparntwe, the NT government will honour the top 20 longest-serving interpreters from across the Territory with a special dinner event at the Double Tree by Hilton Alice Springs.
These include long-serving community members Heather Rosas, from Tennant Creek, and Della Pearce, who is based in Alice Springs/Mparntwe and speaks Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjara.
"I enjoy helping my people and building relationships with fellow interpreters and making lifetime friends," Ms Pearce said.
The AIS has also contributed to several strategic partnerships and projects over its lifetime, including with the Menzies School of Health Research and the NT Police.
As such, it can provide "crucial" services for non-English speakers across the Territory to help understand health, housing and legal services, Housing, Local Government and Community Development Minister Steve Edgington said.
The AIS has offices in Barkly, Big Rivers, Central Australia, Darwin, Palmerston, Litchfield, East Arnhem, and the Top End and helps people in courtrooms, medical and call centres and several other vital government and non-government services to make sure everyone is understood.
They can offer face-to-face, telephone and audio-visual interpreting services as well as recorded and produced messaging, and interpreters are trained to be impartial, confidential, and accurate.
Mr Edgington said AIS's work is "essential" and helps to create "economic independence, build cultural pride, and offer long-term employment pathways".
"It is the only fully accredited Aboriginal interpreter service in the Territory and is the first government-run interpreter service in Australia, providing meaningful employment for hundreds of Aboriginal Territorians," he said.
He said the CLP government was "committed to empowering Aboriginal communities and people and interpretation is crucial to effective two-way communication".
Language speakers interested in becoming part of the next 25 years of AIS can visit the AIS website.
Organisations which need to communicate with non-English speaking clients can book an interpreter.
