Where I grew up:
I grew up in Nhulunbuy with both my parents. My mum is Yolngu, and my dad is non-Indigenous from Sydney, but he’s lived here for so long. I grew up bilingual, learning both ways, in two different worlds.
How I started interpreting:
I was born ready for it! My nanna grew up in a world where there weren’t any schools so she didn’t speak 100% English so sometimes I would help her. I would interpret for family members.
I was offered the job of interpreting many times, but I wasn’t interested until I moved to Darwin. I wanted to get a job and help support our family. I saw my brother, who was already a NAATI-certified interpreter, and he connected me with Nora at AIS. That was in 2020. I never miss any training.
Main interpreting jobs I do:
I worked for a year at the Royal Darwin Hospital as an interpreter and that’s when I got NAATI-certified. I went back to work with AIS but still do some hospital interpreting. I became a staff interpreter in Palmerston and when I moved back to Gove I was also a staff interpreter.
Just recently I’ve moved to a Interpreter Support & Development Officer role. That is my current position, which is recruiting and training, but still interpreting as we are short of staff. I do interpreting work with ALPA, who help community look for jobs. This helps to see people who might be good at interpreting and I sign them up to work with AIS and become an interpreter. I do some translating too, recently I worked on translating an important document for the Gove Futures Reference Group.
NAATI certification helps me to become more professional and see interpreting from the outside. It helps me to understand how interpreting works and develop my skills. I tell people that I’m certified.
Why I love interpreting:
I love interpreting because it comes naturally. I grew up living in both worlds. My dad is not Aboriginal and speaks English and my mum is Yolngu and speaks both. My nanna didn’t speak English, and I always used to interpret for her. Another big part of why I love interpreting is bridging the gap. Getting both sides to understand what they are saying to each other. Especially in court where its very important, that the person knows exactly why they’re in trouble. Or the Lawyer and Judge can hear their story. I love learning. You get to develop your skills and learn new things, new words. Big words – medical terminology, legal terminology. The longer you work as an interpreter the less you need to stop people, ask questions or ask them to rephrase. There’s more of a flow when I’m interpreting.