Contacting an on-demand telephone interpreter (Interpreter Connect) 106-19111309

Interpreter Connect:

• gives (on demand) access to a telephone interpreter
• is only available for Services Australia staff
• automatically connects staff with the most qualified and available interpreters for international and Indigenous languages

On-demand telephone interactions are suitable for:

• Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support interactions
• Smart centres, service centres or calls outside an agency location (for example, staff working from home)
• staff and customer-initiated calls
• unscheduled interactions
• urgent interpreter requests
• scheduled appointments if the interpreter was not booked or did not attend

Using Interpreter Connect

Staff must:

• always stay on the line
• not transfer calls to this service

Customers must not:

• call Interpreter Connect directly
• access a telephone interpreter on their own
• be given the phone number for Interpreter Connect

On-demand telephone interpreters:

• are non-agency staff
• must follow the AUSIT (Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators) Code of Ethics and the terms of their contracts
• are limited to availability (delays for certain languages may be experienced)
• are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, with reduced interpreter availability and technical support outside core business hours, on weekends, and NSW public holidays
• who provide Indigenous language interpreting are culturally vetted before every interaction to avoid conflict of interest

On-demand interpreters are available in 16 Indigenous languages.

For:

• a list of on-demand Indigenous languages, see the Resources page, under Indigenous Language Codes
• an overview of Indigenous interpreting services, see Accessing an Indigenous interpreter