Professional interpreting, NAATI certification and safe general practice
Developed by NAATI in collaboration with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), this practical resource supports GPs, practice managers, reception staff and other primary healthcare professionals working with patients who speak a language other than English or who are deaf or hard of hearing.
It provides guidance on when and how to engage an interpreter, working effectively with interpreters during consultations, the risks of informal interpreting, bilingual staff and AI-assisted communication, NAATI certification and quality assurance, and billing for interpreted consultations.
The resource includes a comprehensive guide and a simple one-page quick guide for easy reference.
The above resource is included in NAATI’s new Digital Awareness Kit for Clinical Practices, developed as part of the national “We all deserve to be understood” campaign.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about the vital role of NAATI-certified interpreters, particularly in healthcare settings. It encourages patients to ask for a professional interpreter rather than friends or family, and supports healthcare services in recognising the value of engaging certified interpreters as part of their duty of care.
The digital awareness kit includes:
‘We all deserve to be understood’ Professional interpreting, NAATI certification and safe general practice brochure.
Waiting Room TV Commercial: A 60-second TVC (created in collaboration with SBS In Language) is available for waiting rooms. It features English closed captions and is subtitled in 14 languages.
Waiting Room Posters & Interpreter Cards: Downloadable waiting room posters (offered in English and numerous community languages) and ‘interpreter cards’ help patients easily request language support and reassure them that services are confidential and professional.
Practices can access and download the complete kit directly via the campaign website here.
