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National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI)

If you intend to apply for migration to Australia under one of the General Skilled Migration categories, you must have a nominated occupation which is on the Skilled Occupations List at the time you apply. In order to make a valid application, you must have obtained a skills assessment from the relevant assessing authority for your nominated occupation.

NAATI is the assessing authority for the following occupations:

Australian Immigration Regulations currently recognise NAATI accreditation as a one-way or two-way Translator and/or Interpreter as being sufficient for the Skilled Occupation category.

Eligibility

You will need to obtain NAATI accreditation as either a Translator or Interpreter. You may do this by sitting for a NAATI Test. NAATI suggests that candidates sit for the Translator test, from their 'B' language into their 'A' language. The greatest likelihood of success is for this direction. This means that if your first language is Spanish (A) and your next acquired language is English (B), you should sit for the one-way Translator test: English into Spanish. NAATI recommends that candidates should not sit for tests from their 'C' language into either their A or B languages.

If you are NOT a translator but rather an interpreter, you should sit for the Interpreter test.

NAATI uses the definitions provided by the Association Internationale des Interpretes de Conference (AIIC). The working languages of interpreters are classified under the categories A, B and C, defined as follows:

Active Language

A Language: The Translator's or Interpreter's first language (or another language strictly equivalent to a first language), into which they work from all their other languages.

B Language: A language other than the Translator's or Interpreter's first language, of which they have a perfect command and into which they work from one or more of their other languages.

Passive Languages

C Language: A language or languages, of which the Translator or Interpreter has a complete understanding and from which he or she works.

Processing

When processing has been completed, NAATI will issue a letter indicating the outcome of your assessment. If the outcome is successful, NAATI will issue a letter of accreditation. If it is not successful, you may apply to sit for another NAATI test, either in Australia or at an overseas location.