Why Healthcare Organizations Are Rethinking Interpreter Certification

NAATI, Australia's National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters, has launched a national TV campaign titled "We All Deserve to Be Understood," developed in partnership with SBS CulturalConnect, to reframe certified interpretation as an essential safeguard rather than an administrative credential.

The campaign targets both non-English speaking communities and frontline professionals across healthcare, education, and community services settings.

Campaign Runs Across 12 Languages on Multiple Platforms

The campaign delivers messaging across 12 languages on SBS television, radio, digital platforms, and out-of-home advertising. A separate national health sector awareness push, confirmed by NAATI Board Chair Magdalena Rowan, extends coverage to 17 languages.

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SBS CulturalConnect and SBS In Language Services led strategy, creative development, and production. The creative approach deliberately avoided dramatic storytelling.

"We avoided dramatics and instead focused on quiet, authentic moments that will resonate with the target audiences. When the work feels honest, the message lands with far more power," said Angus Gordon, Head of Creative at SBS CulturalConnect.

Lee Yacoumis, Strategic Engagement Manager at NAATI, described the campaign as a turning point. "This campaign is about strengthening awareness of why NAATI-certified interpreters are an essential part of the healthcare team, not optional," he said.

Certification Standards Tighten as Recertification Rolls Out in Early 2026

NAATI operates as the sole universal certifier across 60 or more languages in the Asia-Pacific region. Achieving Certified Interpreter status requires passing two sequential assessments: the Certified Provisional Interpreter test and the full Certified Interpreter test, covering consecutive dialogue, sight translation, monologue, and simultaneous interpreting.

NAATI COO Michael Nemarich launched a new professional development catalogue for certified practitioners, with recertification rolling out in early 2026. This shifts interpreter certification from a one-time credential toward an ongoing professional standard.

NAATI also presented its certification framework at the Second International Conference on Legal and Healthcare Interpreting in Tokyo, held November 28 to 30, 2025, introducing its multi-stage assessment model to an international audience.

Asia's Fragmented Certification Landscape Creates Compliance Gaps

Across Asia, no unified regional interpreter certification standard exists. China's CATTI system governs legal interpreting domestically. Thailand's SEAProTI has introduced tiered certification levels registered under government gazette regulations, representing one of Southeast Asia's more structured national approaches.

Global standards including ISO 17100:2015 for interpreter qualifications and ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for information security are increasingly used by language service providers across Asia as business credibility tools rather than pure compliance requirements.

For healthcare interpreter pathways in Asia, industry perspectives favor a minimum of 40 hours of medical training alongside practicums ranging from 54 to 108 hours covering terminology, pathology, and ethics, according to regional certification research.

Nadia Bekarian, National Manager of SBS In Language Services, noted the broader principle at work. "For diverse communities, cultural nuance isn't an add-on. It's where effective communication begins," she said.

NAATI's Government Partnership Model Offers a Replicable Framework

NAATI developed its Certified Provisional Interpreter test preparation program in collaboration with Multicultural NSW, a state government agency. The program was presented at the Tokyo 2025 conference by Fatih Karakas, demonstrating how certified interpreter pipelines can be built through partnerships between accreditation bodies and public sector organizations.

This government-backed model offers a template for Asian governments and corporations seeking to build structured language access standards rather than relying on uncertified bilingual staff in high-stakes settings.

The "We All Deserve to Be Understood" campaign is currently live across SBS platforms and supported by community resources on NAATI's website.