Working with translators and interpreters
If you have never purchased translation or interpreting services, it may be difficult to know where to start. Below you will find information about translation and interpreting in Aotearoa New Zealand and about how to achieve a high-quality outcome for you or your organisation.
What translators and interpreters do
Both translators and interpreters transfer messages from one language to another.
Translators work with the written word. They work with a variety of texts, such as official documents, manuals, websites, books, brochures and audiovisual material, and generally specialise in selected fields like healthcare, legal, marketing or technical translation. Translators also work as reviewers and editors, subtitlers, post-editors, terminologists and copywriters. Professional translators are not only highly-skilled linguists but also experts in their areas of specialisation. Most translators translate from one or more foreign languages into their native language.
Interpreters work in oral communication, for example at the hospital, the courts, at conferences and business meetings and in community settings. They work in person, via video or telephone and interpret simultaneously or consecutively. Many interpreters specialise in particular sectors and are familiar with specialist terminology.
Professional translators and interpreters generally enter the profession after graduating from a translation or interpreting programme at a university. Translation and interpreting require different skills and therefore different training. Being bilingual does not mean one has the skills to translate or interpret effectively. Professional translators and interpreters have the cultural and technical knowledge to communicate effectively across languages and cultures in a range of specific contexts.
Translators and interpreters in Aotearoa New Zealand
New Zealand is a highly diverse country, with Auckland being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Translators and interpreters in Aotearoa work with widely spoken languages such as French, Mandarin or Spanish, Te Reo Māori, major Pacific languages such as Samoan or Tongan as well as minority languages such as Kiribati or Igbo.
Translators provide official document translation for New Zealand government departments such as Immigration NZ and NZQA, the courts as well as businesses trading internationally. Interpreters work with the courts, DHBs, the police, businesses and more.
NZSTI translators and interpreters
As the professional association for practicing translators and interpreters, NZSTI promotes and ensures high standards of performance in the New Zealand language services industry. NZSTI recognises three main professional membership categories:
- Accredited Practitioners are recognised by NZSTI as fully qualified professionals holding a high level of qualification, certification or experience in translation and/or interpreting
- Practitioners are professionals who hold a lower-level qualification, certification or experience in translation and/or interpreting
- Provisional Practitioners are those who currently work as translators and/or interpreters but do not hold sufficient qualifications, certifications or experience to be considered qualified professionals
NZSTI has a rigorous system of qualifications approval and colleague endorsement to ensure all Accredited Practitioners and Practitioners are qualified to translate or interpret in their stated language pair. In addition, all members must adhere to NZSTI’s Constitution, Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct.
NZSTI membership is a sign of quality. Engaging an Accredite Practitioner or Practitioner is an important step to achieving a high-quality outcome for you or your organisation.
How to check if a New Zealand translator or interpreter is a qualified professional
Use our online directory via the search function at the top of this webpage. The directory lists all current practitioners who have NZSTI membership and enables you to find specific language pairs and areas of specialisation. You can check membership status, see what professional tools they use and find their contact details.
Accredited Practitioner translators may use the NZSTI translator stamp on documents they have translated. These stamps show the language and direction for which NZSTI membership is held.
Ask to see their NZSTI membership card, available to all NZSTI Accredited Practitioners and Practitioners. These cards carry photo identification of the NZSTI member and indicate their membership category, recognised language pairs (and for translators, the direction of translation) and membership number. The reverse of the card has links to the NZSTI Code of Ethics/Code of Conduct and online directory.