We All Deserve to Be Understood: Why NAATI-Certified Interpreters Matter in Healthcare
- Inés Bellesi
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
There are some conversations where “close enough” simply isn’t good enough.
A medical appointment is one of them.
When you are talking to a doctor about your symptoms, receiving a diagnosis, consenting to a procedure or trying to understand your treatment options, you need to know exactly what is being said. And your healthcare provider needs to understand you, too.
That’s the message behind We All Deserve to Be Understood, a national NAATI campaign raising awareness of the vital role NAATI-certified interpreters play in supporting equitable healthcare.
Launched in partnership with SBS In Language and CulturalPulse, the campaign encourages patients to ask for a qualified interpreter rather than relying on friends or family. It also supports healthcare services in recognising the value of engaging certified interpreters as part of their duty of care.
And as a NAATI-certified interpreter, it’s a message I’m very glad to see.
Language barriers aren’t just inconvenient
If you speak a language other than English, navigating healthcare can be difficult enough without having to worry about whether you’ve understood everything correctly.
A medical appointment can involve unfamiliar terminology, complex information and decisions about your health and treatment. Important information can be misunderstood or missed entirely. That can make it harder to ask questions, follow medical advice or participate fully in decisions about your care.
Clear communication between patients and healthcare professionals is essential for safe, informed decision-making and quality care.
That’s where professional interpreting comes in.
NAATI’s campaign highlights three important reasons for using certified interpreters in healthcare:
Clinical safety and informed consent
Patient dignity and autonomy
Equitable access to healthcare
The campaign also highlights evidence that engaging an appropriately qualified interpreter can lead to fewer readmissions and better health outcomes. These aren’t abstract principles. They affect what happens in the consulting room.
A bilingual person isn’t automatically an interpreter
It’s common for people to turn to a family member or friend who speaks English when they need help communicating. They may be the person you trust most, and they may genuinely want to help.
But speaking two languages doesn’t automatically make someone an interpreter.
A medical conversation can involve specialised terminology, sensitive information and complex decisions that are difficult to interpret accurately without professional training. A family member may unintentionally leave something out, change the meaning of what was said or feel uncomfortable interpreting personal information.
It can also put them in a difficult position.
As NAATI’s campaign highlights, asking for an interpreter takes pressure off family members. They can support you as family without having to take on the responsibility of interpreting complex medical information.
That distinction matters.
What does a NAATI-certified interpreter do?
NAATI-certified interpreters are trained professionals who meet nationally recognised professional standards and are bound by a code of ethics.
That includes ethical standards such as confidentiality, impartiality and accuracy.
An interpreter’s role is to support communication between the people in the conversation. They don’t make decisions for the patient, provide medical advice or replace the healthcare professional.
They help the patient and healthcare professional communicate with each other as accurately as possible.
For patients, that means having the opportunity to understand information, ask questions and participate in decisions about their care. For healthcare professionals, it means being able to communicate important information clearly and obtain the information they need from their patient.
In a healthcare setting, that’s not a nice-to-have. It matters.
You have the right to ask for an interpreter
If you prefer to communicate in a language other than English during a healthcare appointment, you can ask whether a professional interpreter can be arranged.
You don’t need to feel embarrassed about asking. You don’t need to apologise for needing language support. And you don’t need to put a family member or friend in the position of interpreting for you.
Asking for an interpreter can take pressure off the people around you while giving you the space to communicate directly about your own healthcare.
You deserve to understand what is happening, ask questions, communicate your concerns and participate in decisions about your care.
What is NAATI?
NAATI stands for the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. It is Australia’s national standards and certifying body for translators and interpreters.
NAATI sets and maintains professional standards, certifies practitioners and maintains a public online directory of certified translators and interpreters.
NAATI doesn’t provide interpreting or translation services itself. Instead, it sets professional standards, certifies practitioners and maintains tools that help people find and verify certified professionals.
If you’re looking for a certified interpreter, you can use the NAATI Online Directory to search for practitioners by language, location or service type. You can also use NAATI’s Check a Certification tool to verify whether a translator or interpreter holds a current NAATI credential.
Language is access
This is something I come back to again and again in my own work.
Language access isn’t simply about finding the right words. It’s about being able to participate fully in the conversations that affect your life.
In healthcare, that can mean being able to explain what you’re experiencing. It can mean understanding what your doctor is telling you. It can mean asking the question you were nervous to ask. It can mean knowing exactly what you’re agreeing to.
And sometimes, it means having one less thing to worry about when you’re already dealing with a difficult situation.
Language is access to your own voice in the moments that matter.
We all deserve to be understood
That’s what I like about NAATI’s campaign.
It moves the conversation beyond the idea that interpreting is simply a convenience. It puts the focus back on the person who needs to be heard and understood.
The campaign provides resources for patients, families, healthcare professionals and organisations, with information available in multiple languages. It also includes practical resources explaining the difference between a bilingual person and an interpreter, how to work with an interpreter, and the role of language services in the health sector.
If you or someone you know prefers to communicate in another language during a healthcare appointment, ask about arranging a qualified interpreter.
You deserve to understand what is happening. You deserve to be understood.
Because when the conversation matters, every word matters.
We all deserve to be understood.
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