Description
As our senior population becomes increasingly multicultural, it is essential to address the unique challenges and opportunities that arise in ensuring equitable and respectful care for individuals with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Our highly qualified and experienced speakers and panelists will share their insights into how we can address the legal and ethical rights to interpreters and translators by culturally and linguistically diverse seniors.
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Learn about:
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The implications of language access on the quality of care and services
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Practical skills in effective communication working with interpreters and translators
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Best practices for integrating language services seamlessly into professional workflows, improving overall service delivery
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Access to the free translation service for the aged care sector funded by the Australian Government.
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Webinar Information
Respecting Human Rights of Seniors with
Diverse Language Needs
Speakers
Dr Erika Gonzalez
Assoc. Professor RMIT UNIVERSITY | President AUSIT
Dr Erika Gonzalez is an Associate Professor in translating and interpreting studies and is the Program Manager of the Translating and Interpreting Higher Education programs at RMIT University in Melbourne. She is also the. Acting National President of the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT). Her research interests focus on the professionalization of community interpreting & translation. Erika is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Erika is also a practising conference interpreter and translator.
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Title: “Enhancing Collaboration in a Multicultural Context: Effective Strategies for Working with Interpreters and Translators”
Presentation:
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The critical need for improved interaction between service providers and interpreters or translators to navigate cultural and linguistic differences effectively
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Key strategies for service providers to optimise their use of language services
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Guidance for interpreters and translators working with service providers who may be unfamiliar with language services.
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Foster more inclusive and effective communication practices, ultimately enhancing service delivery and client outcomes.​​​
Sonia Di Mezza
Chief Executive Officer
Sonia is the daughter of Italian migrants, who migrated to Australia in the 1950s.​
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She is a human rights lawyer with a foundation of a rights-based, strengths-based approach. Sonia has worked with older people in residential aged care facilities, from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, to advocate on their behalf, employing her language skills to communicate effectively with the client and solicitor. She has set up a legal aid project in the camps of Khartoum, Sudan; set up a human rights project in Pakistan for Afghan widowed refugee women and their children; worked as a Resettlement Consultant for UNHCR in Lebanon; worked for a child labour rights NGO in India for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Kailash Satyarthi; and as a refugee lawyer in Australia.
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Sonia has held the role of CEO of Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services, in Bendigo for the past three years. She has worked as an aged care advocate for the ACT Disability, Aged and Carer Advocacy Service (ADACAS) for eight years in Canberra and has provided advocacy for many older clients from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, to support them to exercise their human rights. Her other recent roles include CEO of a domestic violence NGO in the ACT; and Deputy Chair of the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council of Multicultural Affairs. Sonia specialises in advocating for the rights of people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Sonia is the co-author of a book relating to the memoir of an Indian woman who contracted HIV in an arranged marriage. ​
Title: “Language skills for a rights-based, strengths-based approach with older people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds”
Presentation:
This presentation increases the understanding of the rights of CALD elderly people to be given information in a language that they understand. This may often require the use of an Interpreter &/or the provision of a professionally translated document.
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The presentation will raise the awareness of webinar participants regarding:
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Employing language skills (including the use of interpreters and translators as required) to communicate effectively with the elderly.
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The legal and ethical rights of elderly migrants to access interpreter services and professionally translated documents in diverse settings, including healthcare, legal, and community services.
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The implications of language on access to quality of care and services for elderly migrants.
Ms. Alex Zhang
Lawyer; COURT INTERPRETER
Alex is a lawyer and a certified Mandarin court interpreter. She was the associate to the Honourable Justice Hall in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, assisting his Honour with criminal trials and appeals. Prior to studying law in Australia, Alex worked as a court interpreter in Federal and State courts in the US, interpreting criminal and civil trials as well as working with refugees. These experiences gave her a unique insight into how culturally and linguistically diverse people navigate the legal system and how important it is to provide them with equal access to justice through interpreting and translation.
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Title: Court interpreting: “Experiences, access to justice and national standards”
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Presentation:
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Common issues interpreters and non-English speakers encounter in court.
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How interpreters and judicial officers can work collectively towards providing non-English speakers better access to justice.
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The importance of the National Standard for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals.​​​
Poonam Daru
Program Director | CULTURE VERSE
With over 15 years of diverse experience, Poonam has worked across program management, learning and development, and mental health sectors. As Program Director for the free translation service for the aged care sector on behalf of the Australian Government, she has honed expertise in client service, stakeholder engagement, and process coordination. She has managed operations for Indo-Pacific clients at Deakin University and has previously led training initiatives as a Learning and Development Coordinator and provided critical Mental Health Services. Poonam combines strategic planning, problem-solving skills, and a commitment to team success, supported by a master’s in counselling psychology and professional development in program management.
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Title: “Free translation service for aged care providers”
Presentation:
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How the free translation service works
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Eligible organisations
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Eligible materials – what materials can and cannot be translated
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What we need from you
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How we will work with you
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Contact information and feedback​​