Issue 56 April 2022

Language Assistance Services Programme: update

Standards

As you know you will need to earn a NAATI credential before 1 July 2024 in order to keep interpreting for the New Zealand Government.

In exciting news, MBIE has contracted with the New Zealand Society of Translators and Interpreters (NZSTI) to help interpreters on their journey to certification, whether or not they are a member of NZSTI. All transitioning interpreters will be able to attend, free of charge, a range of workshops that are being specially developed to help people get and maintain their NAATI certification. Information on these workshops and how to register for them will be published on the NZSTI website in due course.

NZSTI(external link) 

Well done to the 900 of you who are already taking part in the transition to NAATI certification – good luck on your journey!

Face to face interpreting

As you know you will need to sign up with one or more of the community language providers to continue to work for the New Zealand Government.

List of community language providers

Please shop around and find the provider or providers which offer the best deal for you. You can sign up with more than one provider. You are welcome to let me know which provider/s you have signed up with.

Are you receiving the Language Assistance Services Monthly Newsletter? To subscribe email LAS@mbie.govt.nz with the subject ‘Subscribe’. 

Update from the Refugee Status Unit

Now that we are at orange traffic light, we are starting face to face interviews at Refugee Status Unit again. However, in most cases the interpreter will still be on MS Teams, unless there is a particular need to have the interpreter at RSU.

We have also started booking some out of town interviews. Once again, the interpreter will usually be on MS Teams. 

Update from the Refugee Quota Programme

With the whole country moving to the covid protection framework’s orange settings we can all perhaps take some comfort from the direction of travel away from red and one step closer to the green settings. While orange does provide more certainty and the ability to plan and schedule face to face events and meetings in real life, we still remaining cautious and vigilant at Te Ahuru Mowai o Aotearoa (TAMA). We also acknowledge that some of our interpreters may be hesitant to return to face-to-face interpreting work onsite at TAMA while at orange. Most of our interviews are still remote but there are also some occasions when we have a need for interpreters to be onsite.

What do the orange settings mean for interpreters who are scheduled to work onsite at MBIE offices such as RSU and TAMA?

• MBIE vaccination policy is still in force.
• Mask standards for work on MBIE sites remain the same as red – surgical masks (N95/P2 grade) not cloth masks.
• Social distancing is reduced from two meters down to one meter.
• The intent of the orange settings is to transfer more responsibility to individuals in the workplace to maintain healthy habits.

Fingers crossed we can all safely move to the green light soon and keep moving closer and closer to the working life we all knew and enjoyed before COVID-19.

Introducing new Refugee and Protection Officers at RSU

Christine Pepper

Hello, I am very excited to be working with the RSU as a new RPO.

I have a background working with refugees in NZ and the United Kingdom. My previous job before returning to New Zealand 3 years ago was as the Consular Manager for the British High Commission in Singapore. I am the mother of 3 scary teenagers.

Faiza Iqbal

I am half-Pakistani (from my mother’s side) and half-Fijian Indian (from my father’s side). I was born in New Zealand and am the oldest of four children. I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree double majoring in Political Studies and English, and an LLB (hons) degree at the University of Auckland.

My law degree, particularly the honours component, focused heavily on international law and human rights. It is an area that I am deeply passionate about, so I consider myself very lucky to be able to work in this field.

Prior to this role, I was a litigator practising in the area of family law- there are more similarities between the two roles than one would expect. I love learning, travelling, meeting new people and I absolutely love food; I cannot function without coffee!

What’s something interesting not many people would know about you?

My name means victorious woman in Arabic. It is pronounced like Pfizer, the Covid vaccine.

Three things on your bucket list?

1. Complete a Master of Law specialising in international law and human rights.
2. Travel overseas! I would love to spend Christmas/New Year in New York or Paris (or both!)
3. Get through all of Metro’s top 50 restaurants and cafés (every year).

Briar Colville

Hi, my name is Briar Colville.

I started at the RSU in January 2022 and my work history before moving to MBIE was in criminal law, as both defence counsel and more recently, as a prosecutor for the NZ Police. I look forward to working with a range of interpreters to serve our asylum seekers and learn more about different cultures and communities.

New home for interpreter reference resources

Interpreters have their own resource page which has many useful tools, such as immigration and refugee related terminology.

Interpreters online toolkit

Glossaries

Refugee and protection claims based on a person’s religion or beliefs are common. The terms used by some religious groups can be unfamiliar, or carry a special meaning.

To help with your preparation for these types of interviews we have added some new glossaries to the Interpreters online toolkit page. These glossaries include Falun Gong and Church of Almighty God which is specifically for interpreters of Chinese languages.

If you feel there are any other areas that would benefit from a glossary being created please let us know. 

Interpreters online toolkit

On the same page, under ‘Further self-study’, you can find feedback from our interpreter dilemma training.