NAATI
NAATI stands for National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. It is the only organisation in Australia to issue certification to translators and interpreters. It sets and maintains professional standards in the industry.
NAATI’s Services
NAATI’s provides a variety of services. These include:
- Credentialed Community Language (CCL)
- Community Language Aide (CLA)
- Migration Assessments
- Endorsed Qualification.
Migration and NAATI
For migration purpose, having NAATI credentialed community language (CCL) can be very beneficial. It is an assessment conducted by NAATI to assess the applicant’s language ability. On successful passing of the test, the applicant is awarded five bonus points. As such, it is helpful to have NAATI for an applicant applying to lodge a point-based visa application such as Skilled Independent Visa (Subclass 189), Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) and Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491)
CCL Test
CCL will test the applicant on several topics. The topics include but not limited to:
- Business
- Community
- Consumer Affairs
- Employment
- Health
- Immigration
- Housing
- Social Services
- Legal
The test will be examined by at least two examiners. The examiners assess the applicant’s LOTE as well as English ability. The test includes two dialogues, and each of the dialogues is worth 45 marks. To pass the test, the applicant must score at least 29 for each dialogue and an overall score of 63 out of 90.
Marks are deducted for errors such as:
- Accuracy
- Distortions
- Omissions
- Insertions
Once the test is completed, the results will be emailed to the applicant in 4-6 weeks.
To see all the language available for CCL, please see here.
To apply for the test, the applicant must create a profile on NAATI and submit an online application. The application may take up to seven days to process. Once it is processed, the applicant will receive a confirmation email to select a test date and make the payment.
NAATI Endorsed Qualification
NAATI endorsed qualifications are diploma-level or higher courses conducted by Vocational Education & Training (VET) and Higher Education institutions that have been acknowledged by NAATI to meet the standard of knowledge required by translating and interpreting professionals.
The benefit of taking the NAATI endorsed qualification is that upon completion, you will be able to apply directly to NAATI to sit a certification test without having to meet other preconditions.
Which courses are NAATI Endorsed Qualification?
NAATI publishes a list of qualifications that are part of the endorsed qualification program. The list can be found here. The education providers will be able to answer any questions you have regarding the course.
The courses available are varied from a diploma to a master degree.
The courses are also conducted in different Australian cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide.
Who can apply for NAATI Endorsed Qualification?
To study one of the NAATI endorsed qualifications, the applicant must hold a visa to study. Many of the courses are six months or longer as such applicants should have visas that allow them to study for more six months or more in Australia. These include Student Visa (Subclass 500) or Temporary Graduate Visa (Subclass 485).
How to be NAATI accredited?
If you do not hold a qualification from NAATI endorsed qualification, you will have to complete all the following procedures:
- Complete the relevant training/qualification.
- Complete a formal English proficiency test.
- Prepare documents to submit an application to NAATI.
- Pass both Intercultural Competency and Ethical Competency test
- Sit the certification test.
How to be NAATI accredited if you completed NAATI endorsed qualification?
If you have completed the NAATI endorsed qualification, you can apply directly to sit the certification test. You are not required to complete the Intercultural Competency and Ethical Competency test. However, if you completed your endorsed qualification more than three years ago, then you may be required to sit the tests.
On what visa to do the NAATI course?
If you are in Australia you may be able to do the NAATI course on one of these visas:
- Student visa (subclass 500),
- Temporary Graduate Visa (subclass 485),
- Temporary Skill Shortage (subclass 482)
NAATI approved courses usually consist of 30 weeks of training.
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