Interpreter profiles

The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) periodically profiles interpreters who exemplify TIS National's mission and apply the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT) Code of Ethics in their work.

Read about some of TIS National’s high performing interpreters.

Hoa Nguyen

Created: 02 February 2017

Passion to help her community 'I started interpreting to help my Vietnamese community when I was about 20 years’ old. I am still doing it for the love of it, not for the money.’ Hoa used passion and persistence to achieve National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) accreditation. She is qualified to interpret and help her community as both an interpreter and a registered nurse. Journey to become a NAATI qualified interpreter Hoa started interpreting as an unofficial volunteer assistant... read more

Bojana Tatarevic

Created: 18 October 2016

Using her language skills to help Bojana had just turned 17 when she volunteered to help fellow Serbian people when they first arrived in Australia. ‘As I was the only person in the group who could speak some English I became their unofficial interpreter. They were vulnerable and found it difficult in new environments when they first arrived. They felt terrible because they could not get their messages through to enable people to understand them. I guess the need and ability to speak English helped me start... read more

Maria Amore

Created: 23 February 2016

Maria is a Tasmania based Italian interpreter who was born in Calabria, Italy and arrived in Australia on her second birthday. Maria learnt to speak Italian from her parents, ‘Children absorb language and that’s what happened to me’, Maria explains. When she is not interpreting, Maria loves to spend time with her grandchildren and read a wide variety of books in Italian to maintain the language. Living in Italy Soon after she married her Italian husband Maria moved to Italy. They lived in Bologna where she... read more

Sanaa Nouseir

Created: 14 August 2015

Learning languages is Sanaa’s passion Sanaa, an Arabic interpreter based in Sydney, was born in Syria into a household where languages and learning were prized as the pathways to lead a successful and happy life. Her passion for language was cultivated by her late father, who loved intellectual pursuits and worked as a teacher, poet and writer. Sanaa said, ‘because of my father I achieved where I am today. He was encouraging of all his children and wrote beautiful poems for them and my mother about our journey... read more

Indra Rizal

Created: 03 July 2015

The beginning Indra was born in the remote village of Dagana, Bhutan—‘I was born as a normal boy who had everything’ Indra said. However at the age of four when he lost his mother, Indra came to realise he was totally blind. His sister is also visually impaired. In 1990 he and his family were then exiled into Nepal for following the Hindu religion and resided in a refugee camp. A colourful result of distinction Indra first studied in Bhutan, then from Nepal he was sponsored to study in a Salvation Army... read more

Stella Alves Da Motta

Created: 23 April 2015

Stella started interpreting by chance. Her first career was as a teacher in her birth country Brazil and when she arrived in Australia she did some relief teaching. It was then that a friend approached her for some assistance interpreting for a psychology appointment and she has now been interpreting in Portuguese for 23 years. The code of ethics is an important tool Stella says ‘you need to be tough to be an interpreter, it’s a tough profession’. Her greatest challenge while working as an interpreter is not... read more

Said Mojab

Created: 06 June 2013

Said has been a contractor for TIS National since October 1999. He speaks eight languages: Dari, Hazaragi, Farsi, Pastu, Persian, Russian, Urdu and English. He is currently working on Christmas Island. Afghan roots Said is originally from Afghanistan. Born in Ghanzni, his family moved to Kabul when he was two years old. Said finished school in 1975 and enrolled in university where he completed a degree in civil engineering. After graduating he initially worked as a professor at the polytechnic but gave up this... read more

Mona Jabbour

Created: 23 May 2013

Mona has worked as an interpreter with TIS National since 1993. Mona speaks three languages fluently: Arabic, English and French. Over the years, she has observed a steady growth in demand for Arabic interpreting. Before migrating to Australia in 1984, Mona and her family lived in a prosperous area near Beirut, Lebanon. It was a difficult time. The country was at war and they lost everything in their town which was completely destroyed. ‘We felt we had been forced to leave our homeland. Migration is a big turning... read more