By Helen Sturgess
(AUSIT, Communications Officer)
The Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) is the peak professional association for the country’s T&I profession.
Our annual National Conference is the highlight of the industry’s calendar of events, bringing T&I practitioners and students, researchers and educators together with industry stakeholders from around Australia and beyond.
The range of opportunities for connection, learning, exchange and growth within the language services industry makes the event a professional highlight and unmissable opportunity to explore and discover ways we can take our profession forward.
This year’s conference, ‘Quality translating and interpreting: a shared responsibility – revisiting the theme amidst the new challenges of our time’, reframes our 2007 theme in the context of mid-2020s developments and challenges that will resonate with T&I professionals worldwide.
The conference sessions will focus on the question of what is essential for delivering quality interpreting and translation. A productive relationship between practitioner, client and language service provider? Yes, but delivering quality T&I services involves more than a simple transaction between practitioner and client.
Suggested sub-themes:
- future T&I career prospects in the context of AI;
- the role of First Nations languages and communities in the delivery of T&I services;
- quality T&I from the perspective of language service providers, clients, government, and the legal and medical sectors;
- T&I in literature and the arts;
- best business practices for T&I professionals;
- how to improve T&I professionals’ ethical practice, knowledge and skills.
Proposals welcome! – Submissions close on 3 July.
Photos by Matthew Georges, Encore Collective
And it’s not only about the conference sessions – the Conference Dinner always ends with a joyful knees-up, while more networking occurs over drinks and canapés at Wednesday’s Welcome Reception.
The AUSIT Conference Bell, first rung in Sydney in 2024 to announce AUSIT’s Victorian Branch as host of the AUSIT National Conference 2025 [, which took place] in Melbourne, was passed at the closing of that event to Joe Van Dalen (AUSIT Fellow, past SA/NT Branch Chair (2014–25) and currently working hard on the 2026 Organising Committee), confirming Adelaide as host for the 39th AUSIT National Conference.
Photo by AUSIT Fellow and Life Member Terry Chesher
If you’re considering attending, why not bring the family? Nestled between its iconic beaches and famed wine-growing region, this compact state capital packs in a wealth of cultural institutions. In November, Adelaide is a vibrant destination with pleasantly mild, sunny weather. Before the summer/Christmas period, events in and around Adelaide include Feast Festival 2026 and the Adelaide Grand Final Parade. Or you could head for the hills (literally!) to experience the fine dining and wines that make the Adelaide Hills an internationally renowned gastronomic destination, or for the beaches.
https://ausit.org/39th-ausit-national-conference/
