Tuesday, 26 May
6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
University of Auckland, Engineering Building (405), Seminar Room 422
+ Live online via Zoom
NZSTI invites members, practitioners, students, and sector stakeholders to the launch of Voices from the Field: Working Conditions of Interpreters in New Zealand. Funded by NZSTI, this report documents the lived experiences of interpreters across Aotearoa, drawing on 44 independent testimonies collected between 2023 and 2025.
The report focuses on the relationship between professional standards, remuneration, workplace equity, and the impact of current industry conditions on clients. It identifies five key issues: unfair and unsustainable pay and working conditions, limited regulation and oversight of language service providers (LSPs), the prioritisation of less skilled interpreters over qualified accredited practitioners, industry practices that can undermine service quality and place clients at risk, and the essential, high-skill nature of interpreting work.
The project was led by Dr Carolina Cannard, NZSTI member and principal investigator, with the report authored and independently analysed by Dr Thanos Kyritsis. Carolina’s advocacy and data collection work have helped bring together the voices of interpreters who have shared their experiences of working across health, legal, government, community, and other high-stakes settings.
At this hybrid launch event, NZSTI will present key findings from the report, consider what they mean for interpreters, service users, government agencies, language service providers, and the wider T&I sector, and open space for discussion and questions. The evening will begin at 6.30 pm with light drinks and nibbles. The report presentation will begin at 7.00 pm, followed by a Q&A discussion.
This event will be relevant for interpreters, translators, students, agencies, educators, policy stakeholders, government agencies, and anyone with an interest in language access, professional standards, and the future of interpreting in Aotearoa New Zealand. The launch is an opportunity to better understand the systemic challenges facing interpreters and contribute to a wider conversation about fairer, safer, and more sustainable interpreting services.
This is a hybrid event. You can attend in person at the University of Auckland or join live online via Zoom. Please note the zoom will begin at 7.00 pm.
No need to register for this event, just come along.
