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

For help with how to offer and work with interpreters, see Guidelines for using interpreters.

For customers who:

• require a future face to face or telephone interpreter appointment, see Booking an interpreter for an appointment
• require an Indigenous language interpreter, see Accessing an Indigenous interpreter
• are deaf or hard of hearing and require an:
• immediate interpreter, explore their nominee arrangement or see Using the National Relay Services (NRS)
• interpreter for a future appointment, see Interpreter Services for customers who are deaf or hard of hearing

Interpreter Connect:

• provides immediate (on demand) access to a telephone interpreter
• is exclusively available for Services Australia staff
• automatically connects staff with the qualified and available interpreters for International and Indigenous languages

Staff must not transfer calls to this service and must always stay on the line. Customers cannot access a telephone interpreter on their own. The service is not for customers to contact directly and they must not be provided with its number.

On-demand telephone interactions are suitable for:

• Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support interactions for Smart Centres and service centres
• staff and customer-initiated calls
• unscheduled interactions
• urgent interpreter requests
• scheduled appointments where an interpreter was not booked or did not attend
• staff working outside an agency's premises, for example staff working from home

On-demand telephone interpreters are:

• non-agency staff
• to adhere to the AUSIT (Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators) Code of Ethics and the terms of their contracts
• required to undergo cultural vetting if the request is for an Indigenous language
• limited to availability (delays connecting to interpreters for certain languages may be experienced)
• available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. There is decreased availability and technical support provided outside core business hours, weekends, and NSW public holidays