Language pairs translated and certified for Australian authorities

Which languages can be certified to NAATI standard?

NAATI certification exists for a wide but finite set of language directions. Where certification exists for your pair we use a certified translator. Where it does not, NAATI operates other credential types and receiving bodies apply alternative rules — we explain the applicable route before you commit.

Source: NAATI

What happens if there is no NAATI certified translator for my language?

The Department of Home Affairs sets out what a translation done outside Australia must show — the translator's full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language concerned. We prepare the translation in that format and state clearly what credential was used.

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Can you translate between two non-English languages?

Australian receiving bodies work in English, so the normal direction is source language into English. Other pairs can be arranged, but they usually fall outside the NAATI framework and the receiving body's rules should be checked first.

How are names and place names transliterated?

Personal names follow the spelling in your passport. Place names and institution names follow the official English form published by the issuing body where one exists, otherwise a standard romanisation, with a translator's note where ambiguity could cause a mismatch.

Which language pairs can be certified for Australian use?

Any pair where a credentialed practitioner is available in the required direction. Certification is direction-specific — into English and out of English are separate credentials — so tell us the source language and the target language when you ask.

Source: NAATI

My document is in a third language, not Thai. Can you still help?

Yes. Documents in a third language are handled by a practitioner credentialed for that language into English, subject to availability. Send a legible scan and the destination and we confirm whether the pair can be scheduled before you commit.

Can one file contain two source languages?

Yes, and it is common with documents issued by international schools or dual-language registries. The pages are split by language and handled by the corresponding practitioner, then assembled into a single delivered set so the pagination matches your original.

Are rare language pairs slower?

Usually yes. A pair with few credentialed practitioners in the required direction carries a queue, and the delivery date depends on availability rather than on document length. We give you a written date before any work starts.

Do you translate documents that mix two languages on the same page?

Yes. Mixed-language pages are common on international certificates. Everything not already in the target language is rendered, and a translator's note records which parts were already in English so the reader can follow the original layout.

Which language direction should I order — into English or from English?

For Australian receiving bodies the direction is into English. For documents issued in Australia and used abroad, the direction reverses and the receiving country's own rules apply, which may call for a sworn or court-appointed translator rather than NAATI.

How do you handle regional dialects and script variants?

We match the written standard the receiving body expects — for example simplified versus traditional Chinese, or the romanisation used on your passport. Tell us the destination country and we set the variant before work starts.

Can you certify a translation into a language other than English?

NAATI certification exists in specific directions, and not every pair is covered. Where certification is unavailable we explain which credential will appear on the certificate and what the receiving body's published rule says, before you commit.

Source: NAATI

Which language pairs are requested most for Australian purposes?

Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Nepali, Arabic, Persian, Russian and Spanish into English are the most common, but the credential requirement is the same in every case.

Source: NAATI

Does a NAATI credential cover both directions of a language pair?

No. NAATI certifies by direction, so a translator certified from Thai into English is not automatically certified from English into Thai. Tell us the direction the receiving body needs.

Source: NAATI

How are regional variants handled, such as Simplified and Traditional Chinese?

The translation follows the script and variant used in the source, and the target format follows the receiving body's requirement. Tell us the destination so the right variant is used.

What if a document contains more than one language?

All languages present are translated, and the certification records which languages appeared in the source. Mixed-language documents sometimes require two translators, each certified for their direction.

How are dates and calendars converted?

Dates are rendered as written in the source, with the corresponding Gregorian date supplied in a translator's note where the source uses the Buddhist era or another calendar, so nothing is silently changed.

Can you translate a rare language?

Where no NAATI certified practitioner exists for a language, other credential types and alternative acceptance rules apply. We tell you which route applies before you order, rather than issuing a certificate the receiving body will not accept.

Source: Department of Home Affairs

Is machine translation used at any stage?

Certified work is produced and signed by the certified translator, who is professionally responsible for accuracy. We do not submit unreviewed machine output as certified translation.

How is terminology kept consistent across a large document set?

We build a glossary for the file — names, institutions, titles, document numbers — and apply it across every document in the set, so the receiving body sees one consistent rendering.