Today, the barriers to communication have been all but eliminated with the advancements of science and modern technology. However, one barrier remains – language. While language specialists, including linguists, translators and interpreters, do their best to remove this obstacle, there are some people who try to exploit the language barrier as an instrument for criminal activity.
We work closely with state and territory, Commonwealth and international partners and share our intelligence at all levels from government to the community. This intelligence data often contains products in foreign languages and so our in-house language services is a vital support capability used for our operational purposes. Unlike general community interpreting and translation, intelligence-based language services is an area where cross-cultural communication, socio-linguistics, community and legal interpreting and translation overlap to meet the needs of multidisciplinary teams. Without effective management, the ACIC risks compromising investigative and intelligence collection capabilities.
Working in an intelligence agency as a language specialist requires dedicated training, which we provide at the ACIC. Our linguists play a critical communication role which extends far beyond interpreting and translation services. They are often required to use their analytical and deductive faculties to determine the true meaning of data, analyse legally intercepted and protected information and prepare forensic transcripts and translations or other relevant material for use as evidence in court. When necessary, they will also attend court to give evidence as a knowledgeable witness, including voice recognition.
Day-to-day you will also find them conducting research and providing advice to our agency on language and cultural matters concerning the non-English speaking community, but our breadth of work means no 2 days are alike.
“A linguist's role is multifaceted, delving into the diverse aspects of Australia’s National Intelligence Community. If you're drawn to frontline language services and aspire to contribute to Australia's defence against serious and organised crime, the ACIC might just be your calling,” said Assistant Director of Language Services.
Learn more about our agency and view current vacancies.