Abstract
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Highlights
According to the United Nations’ International Migration Report (2006), there are over 200 million migrants around the world
Based on calculations of the reach of the survey via direct contact and interpreting agencies, it is estimated that approximately 500 Asian language community interpreters in Australia received the invitation to participate in the online survey
Given that this is the first survey of its kind to focus only on Asian language interpreters in Australia, the results are worth consideration, and may contribute to a better understanding of the working practices of this group
Summary
According to the United Nations’ International Migration Report (2006), there are over 200 million migrants around the world. Australia is one of the countries where international migrants constitute a high proportion of the population; up to twenty percent (The United Nations, 2006). As a large proportion of the population come from different countries throughout the world, many different languages other than the national language of English are spoken in Australia. This paper focuses on community interpreters who work between English and Asian languages in Australia. According to the most recent Australian census (2011), over 12 percent of the Australian population is of Asian descent, predominantly Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino and Indian. This statistic may be an underestimation when one accounts for non-migrant temporary populations, including international students, short-term working migrants, and illegal
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