AUSIT NAT Presents: Community Interpreting Across the English-Speaking World: A Panel Discussion (Webinar)

Registrations close midnight, 11:59 PM, 30 July 2026

A candid international panel unpacking the real state of community interpreting: the pay, the pressures, and what lies ahead

Ever wondered how your experience as a community interpreter stacks up against colleagues in other parts of the world? Do interpreters in Canada face the same pressures as those in the UK? Are the pay and working conditions you accept simply your market's normal, or is there a better benchmark out there? Is AI reshaping the profession differently across different markets?

This is your chance to find out.

We're bringing together community interpreters and industry insiders from across the English-speaking world for a candid, illuminating panel discussion about the real state of our profession: the good, the not-so-good, and everything in between.

Our panellists will dig into the topics interpreters care about most:

• Pay rates and what fair remuneration looks like across different markets;
• Working conditions, benefits, and the entitlements interpreters can (and can't) count on;
• The LSP landscape: who's commissioning work and how that shapes the profession;
• AI: hype, reality, and what it actually means for practising interpreters;
• The big challenges ahead, and what different communities are doing about them.

This special event will be a rare chance to compare notes across Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States, and walk away with a clearer picture of where our profession stands and where it's going.

Our Panel Members

Marta Leigh is a UK-based Polish-English interpreter, translator and educator with more than two decades of professional experience. She specialises in legal, medical and public service interpreting and translation, working with courts, healthcare providers, government agencies and private clients throughout the United Kingdom and Poland.

Mustafa Keshkeia has been a professional community interpreter/translator since 2006. He got his BA in English literature (2006) and MA in Audiovisual translation (2010) from Damascus University. In 2015, he was certified as a Sworn Translator by the Ministry of Justice, Syria. He was a lecturer of translation studies and translator training at the Department of Translation, Damascus University from 2019 to 2022. Mustafa is currently a final-year PhD candidate at the School of Applied Language and Intercultural Studies (SALIS), Dublin City University.

Javier Castillo is president of Castillo Language Services, Inc. in Greenville, NC. He is an interpreter, translator, consultant and internationally recognised speaker. He is a Federally Certified Court Interpreter, NC AOC certified court interpreter, a Certified Medical Interpreter, (CCHI) and contract interpreter for the U.S. Department of State and routinely interprets for international delegations and high-level speakers across the United States and abroad.

Sumeet Kaur is a NAATI-certified Punjabi translator and interpreter with over a decade of experience working across diverse community settings throughout Australia. She holds a Master’s degree in Interpreting from RMIT University and, since 2016, has also worked as an interpreter trainer and assessor, supporting both emerging and experienced professionals in the field.

Nauleo Fifita (Leo) is a NAATI Certified Provisional Interpreter for the Tongan and English language pair. She is also a Tongan and English Translator with over 20 years of experience across interpreting and translation work. Leo is based in New Zealand and provides telephone, video remote, and face-to-face interpreting, as well as translation services to global clients. Leo’s experience spans legal, medical, financial, education, and community settings.

Berfina Ozdemir is a Turkish Community Interpreter based in Canada who speaks Turkish, English and French. She is passionate about breaking down language barriers and helping people access essential services through clear and effective communication. With experience working in diverse settings, she enjoys fostering meaningful connections across cultures and supporting understanding between communities.

Joining the Webinar

The Zoom link for the webinar will be sent out one day prior to the event. Please ensure you have downloaded the latest version of Zoom in preparation.

PD Logbook

Advanced PD.

Please  consult the new NAATI Recertification Catalogue to allocate the relevant PD Points. Some activities can be included under different categories, so please choose the most  appropriate category for your recertification purposes.

Certificates and recordings
PD Certificates will be sent to confirmed attendees only, please ensure your Zoom name matches your registration name.

This is a live webinar event and will NOT be recorded.

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