Training refugees to become interpreters for refugees

The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in partnership with the Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC), has, since 2002, been offering a Diploma of Interpreting program in rare and emerging languages which has been approved by the Australian National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). In addition to the usual challenges of initiating programs in relatively new languages - such as recruiting teaching staff and developing bilingual teaching materials - the training in these languages presented some unique challenges which required modified and/or alternative approaches. This paper will outline the structure of the Diploma program given in 2008 in two language streams, Burmese and Swahili (Kiswahili), and present the findings of a research case study which investigated both the academic and the professional reactions from both staff and students. The findings of this study have implications for the provision of interpreter training programs in rare and emerging languages. There are also implications for both teachers and students in the area of cross-cultural communication.