The National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) is the only institution that accredits translators and interpreters in Australia. This type of accreditation is required for most of the translated documents that are presented before the Australian authorities.
Traditionally, NAATI certification involved physical stamps and signatures on paper-based documents. These accreditations were awarded for life from 1977 – 2017. In January 2018, the NAATI organization began to require these credentials to be renewed every three years, as part of a continuous improvement program.
In March 2023, NAATI began to offer digital identification options for certified translators. Although both physical and digital accreditation systems will coexist simultaneously for a couple of years, as technology continues to advance, digital stamps and ID cards are quickly becoming the preferred method of certification and every day there are more translators who use this identification method.
Physical vs. Digital
For both cases, digital and physical, all NAATI-certified translators and interpreters have a Certified Practitioner Number (CPN) that can be found in their translator stamp or ID card. It consists of 9 characters, it always starts with “CPN”, followed by one number, then two letters, then two numbers and one letter (e.g. CPN2MF18A).
Digital stamps and ID cards provide several benefits over their physical counterparts:
A digital ID is more convenient and efficient, as it can be issued and verified online at any time. This means that translators and interpreters can receive their certification faster than 2-4 weeks, which is what it takes to receive a physical stamp. This advantage becomes essential especially under time-sensitive situations.
Digital stamps and ID cards are more secure than physical stamps and signatures. With advanced encryption and security measures, it is virtually impossible for anyone to tamper with or forge a digital stamp or ID card. This ensures that the certification is authentic and trustworthy. To validate the credentials of your translator, digital stamps include a unique QR code that is generated the same day the translation is done. If the credential is not active on that date, then the digital stamp cannot be generated. ID cards have an exclusive QR code too. For security, only NAATI-certified translators can download this digital stamp and ID card signing into their myNAATI account using a password and a multi-factor authenticator code. In digital stamps, a physical signature is replaced by “Digitally Authenticated by NAATI”.
Another security measure implemented by NAATI is the ability of deleting documents from the system once they are no longer required. Only the file name and date uploaded will be conserved, offering more protection to translators in case of a security breach. In case of fraud or misuse, NAATI can disable their individual stamps and ID card without impacting all other work the translator has done. Also, if you cannot scan the QR code, you have the possibility to enter the 32-character identifier displayed below the QR code directly into the web browser to verify validity of your document.
Finally, digital stamps and ID cards are also more environmentally friendly. By eliminating the need for physical paper-based documents, the use of digital certification helps reduce paper waste and conserve natural resources.
Good News for NAATI Practitioners
If you are looking to add to your credentials with a new skill or increase the level of certification you hold, these are the improvements:
Automatic approval of tests if you have taken this same type of test in the past.