Brittany Manifis recently became a certified Auslan interpreter and has since been inundated with work in the deaf community in Perth.

But it almost didn’t happen.

The first time he tried to get certified, he failed the test — which happens to more than half of those who try, according to the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).

It comes as Australia faces a shortage of Auslan interpreters.

Members of the deaf community are calling for more government funding to help boost the profession.

“It’s not an easy solution”

Ms. Manifis said that simplifying the test is not the solution.

“You need this special motivation to become a performer,” she said.

Ms Manifis said her TAFE courses would often be delayed because the college could not find the right staff to teach.

“Because there wasn’t this education, we couldn’t get ahead,” Ms Manifis said.

“It’s not an easy fix… a lot of times (educators) are prioritized to be interpreters for the community as opposed to educator of interpreters. They are very stretched.”

There are currently 747 interpreters with a valid Auslan certification, but according to the last census, approximately 16,000 people use Auslan at home, including children of deaf adults.

The Royal Commission on Disability has recommended that the state and territories begin implementing a strategy to increase the quality and quantity of AUSLAN interpreters by January 2025.

But a national plan to address the shortage is not bound by that deadline.

“Life and Death Decisions”

People like Drisana Levitzke-Gray and her daughter Steorra are affected.

Auslan is how they communicate.

In life-threatening situations, such as the traumatic birth of her daughter, well-educated interpreters were crucial.

“I needed to have medical information about what was going on … doctors were coming and going nurses were coming and going,” Ms Levitzke-Gray said.

“So you can imagine how overwhelming it was.”

Not every interpreter could help in this situation.

Ms Levitzke-Gray cited “terminology issues” and said they were “life and death decisions to make”.

She was grateful to have a rotation of performers she trusted.

Ms Levitzke-Gray said deaf people could help hearing people learn their language – but accessibility issues in the education sector often proved too much of a barrier.

“I did law at uni and found it easier than doing a cert 4 (in Auslan)… can you imagine that?” she said.

“(People) are saying we need more interpreters, we need to lower the price and the cost of the course,” she said.

“But you have to have the right teachers to be able to learn to become great performers.”

High standards crucial

More than three-quarters of deaf Australians said the main reason they cannot access interpreters is a lack of skilled workers, according to the 2022 Australian Deaf Census.

“When it comes to booking performers, you have to book them well in advance because often if you do it at the last minute, there won’t be anyone available,” Ms Manifis said.

There are probably people working without a certification, but leading bodies stress the importance of a formalized assessment process.

NAATI WA representative Kym McDowell agrees it’s not a perfect system, but said compromising standards shouldn’t be the cost.

“It’s not hard to find cases where people have been given the wrong information,” she said.

“Surgical procedures (for example), you don’t want to cut off the wrong leg.

“No one is really trying to hide the fact that it is a difficult test.

People who want to be certified in Auslan must take a TAFE course approved by NAATI.

NAATI then assesses their ability to communicate between the two languages ​​(English and Auslan) by simulating different situations.

Stimulating the profession

Australian Sign Language Interpreters’ Association WA president Adrian Chia believes young people do not see Auslan interpreting as the future.

“Auslan interpreting doesn’t quite carry the prestige of other roles, such as a doctor or a lawyer, although we study for just as much time in many cases,” he said.

“Ideally, if Auslan and interpreting were offered at university level, maybe you’d see more people becoming interpreters.”

There also needs to be more incentives to encourage existing performers to make the transition to teaching, according to Mr Chia.

“It’s not promoted as a career path,” Mr Chia said.

“Some people prefer to just stay as an interpreter and not become a trainer…it’s not a very desirable position (teaching) because it doesn’t pay particularly well.”

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