DIPLOMAS
Diploma of Interpreting (LOTE-English)
Melbourne City
This Diploma is your first step towards professional practice as an interpreter where you will verbally translate conversation between speakers who speak different languages.
Interpreters provide a critical service helping people to overcome the language barriers experienced when accessing community services in areas such as health, education, law, business and travel.
You’ll gain basic transfer skills for interpreting in general conversational settings, learn about professional ethics and improve language proficiency. Students for spoken languages will study courses that cover legal and medical terminology, whereas Auslan interpreting students will learn about health and education terminology.
The program is suited to people who already have bilingual skills, but have not yet reached the required level of specialised language proficiency for the Advanced Diploma.
The Diploma of Interpreting is approved by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI).
NAATI is changing from the accreditation system to the new certification system from January 2018. More information about this change
Further information about related changes to this Diploma will be available on this page soon.
Languages open for Semester 2, 2017
This program is open for application for the following languages for the Semester 2, 2017 intake.
- Japanese
- Korean
- Mandarin
Please make sure that you indicate the language stream you want to study in your personal statement in your application.
Alternative studies for languages not listed above
If your chosen language is not available this semester, we recommend applying for the S0133 Introduction to Interpreting and Translating Skill Set.
International students, please note, the Skill Set does not provide access to an Australian student visa.
Express your interest for the Skill Set
The Skill Set comprises four courses from the Diploma of Interpreting, which will introduce you to interpreting and ethics. You will be entitled to credit exemptions when and if you study the Advanced Diploma in future.
Applicants will receive an email invitation to sit a bilingual intake test.
There are a limited number of government bursaries available to assist with tuition fees. The program will award the bursaries with consideration of:
- the number of requests compared to the number of bursaries available
- the language being spoken widely enough in the community, and a recognised need for interpreters in that language.
Languages that may be available in future
RMIT is approved by NAATI to offer the Advanced Diploma of Interpreting in the following languages. Language streams will run depending on interest and minimum numbers.
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Assyrian
- Auslan
- Bangla
- Bosnian
- Burmese
- Cantonese
- Chin (Haka)
- Chin (Tedim)
- Dari
- Dinka
- Hakka
- Hazaragi
- Italian
- Karen
- Khmer
- Kirundi
- Kurdish (Kurmanji)
- Kurdish (Sorani)
- Kurdish Southern (Feyli)
- Nepali
- Nuer
- Oromo
- Punjabi
- Pushto
- Rohingya
- Somali
- Swahili
- Tamil
- Thai
- Tigrinya
- Turkish
You need to have advanced bilingual skills in the language you select and may be required to demonstrate your knowledge prior to entry into the program.
International student visa holders can only study full-time.
This program is flexible in its delivery and creates a range of opportunities for you to apply your knowledge and skills.
The program has developed study guides, practice materials and multimedia resources to support your learning.
You will participate in learning activities including:
- scenarios
- case studies
- role plays
- online practice tools
- group discussions and projects
- practical demonstrations
- reflective journals
- simulations of real-life job assignments.
Assessment may include:
- written work such as assessment reports and reflective reports
- quizzes
- presentations
- oral interviews and interpreting demonstrations
- class observation and peer review.
Courses are delivered in English. Some units of competency require undertaking some learning activities and assessment tasks in English and one language other than English.
You will have access to online resources through the myRMIT student portal.
Some of your assessment tasks will involve visiting workplaces such as community organisations/settings and public service departments/agencies where interpreters are expected to work.
To fulfil our work integrated learning policy, you'll be required to do simulated interpreting related activities and will be given feedback on your performance against industry standards.
Teaching staff all hold NAATI accreditation and bring a wealth of experience, current knowledge and skills into the classes. Through this connection, students are exposed to up-to-date practices that address the interpreting needs arising in sectors such as education, business, legal, medical, immigration and community services in Australia and overseas.
RMIT is committed to providing you with an education that strongly links formal learning with professional or vocational practice.
Demand for qualified interpreters is increasing due to high levels of interaction between people and cultures as a result of globalised economies and movement of people due to immigration and humanitarian reasons. A large number of people also face language barriers due to physical disabilities such as deafness or impaired hearing and require language assistance.
Graduates of this program will be eligible to apply for NAATI para-professional interpreter accreditation, subject to meeting the accreditation standards in some assessment tasks.
Graduates find employment as freelancers, contractors to language services agencies or in public and private sector organisations such as:
- hospitals
- courts
- businesses
- government departments.
The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI) accreditation is well regarded in the international employment market and by many international/multinational organisations and agencies such as NGOs, embassies, private companies and manufacturers.
Professional recognition and accreditation
This program is approved by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI).
Please note that students studying this program online from outside Australia, are not eligible for NAATI acreditation.
If you achieve standards required by NAATI as a graduate, you will be recommended to NAATI for accreditation at the para-professional interpreter level without further testing.
For further information about this program, please make an enquiry.
Info Corner
330 Swanston Street (cnr La Trobe Street)
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel. +61 3 9925 2260
Make an enquiry
Program and course information
