Conference interpreting in Australia

This chapter reviews the status and trends of conference interpreting in Australia about which very little has been written or documented, contrary to the field of community/liaison interpreting. This gap seems to be due both to the absence of accessible data and official records, and to the lack of correlation and commonalities between this field of international and private practice and the development and provision of interpreting services for local, community and public needs. In an attempt to fill the lacuna and to capture a reliable picture of the conference interpreting landscape for both signed and spoken languages Down Under, this chapter covers historical grounds, discusses accreditation and certification systems, provides contemporary information on training and on work opportunities, and presents responses from services and equipment providers on market trends.