By Mark Saba, Founder of LEXIGO and author of The Authenticity Advantage

Australia is a multilingual market in its own right. The 2021 Census found more than 5.5 million people, about 22% of the population, speak a language other than English at home, with over 300 languages in use. For organisations serving these communities, or selling into Asian markets, choosing a partner for translation services is a strategic decision, not a procurement afterthought.

These are the five questions buyers most often ask, with direct answers.

1. What should Australian organisations look for when choosing a translation agency?

Look for NAATI certified translators, a NAATI Endorsed company, ISO 17100 processes for translation quality, ISO 27001 for information security, and proven experience communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse audiences. Price and turnaround matter, but they should not be the first filter.

Ask where your files will be stored and processed, who can access them, and how AI is used. AI can speed up work when it is built into secure workflows with NAATI certified linguists reviewing every output. Pasting sensitive content into public tools offers no accountability and little control over your data.

Experience counts too. Ask for examples in your sector and languages, and how the provider manages terminology, review and your feedback. LEXIGO, a NAATI Endorsed translation agency in Australia, was built around these criteria.

2. What is the difference between a NAATI certified translator and a NAATI Endorsed language service provider?

A NAATI certified translator is an individual who has passed NAATI’s certification testing for a specific language and direction. A NAATI Endorsed language service provider is a company that NAATI has assessed as meeting its standards for how language services are managed and delivered.

NAATI is the national standards and certification body for translators and interpreters in Australia. NAATI certified translations are commonly required for official documents such as identity, visa, education and legal records. Endorsement adds assurance about the organisation behind the work, but it does not replace your own checks on quality, security and fit.

LEXIGO, an Australian specialist translation services and multicultural communications agency, is a NAATI Endorsed language service provider (LSP950085) and is certified to ISO 17100, ISO 9001 and ISO 27001.

3. How much does professional translation cost in Australia, and what drives the price?

Cost depends on the language pair, subject matter, volume, formatting, urgency and whether certification is required. Personal NAATI certified document translations are often priced per document, while business content is usually priced per word or per project. For example, LEXIGO’s NAATI certified translations start from $69.90 + GST.

Technical, legal and medical content needs more specialist skill and review. Less common language pairs can cost more where fewer qualified translators are available. Designed files may need desktop publishing (DTP) so translated text fits the layout and displays correctly, particularly in right-to-left or non-Latin scripts. Rush deadlines, extra review rounds and community testing add time and cost, while translation memory can reduce costs on repeated content.

Ask for an itemised quote so you can compare like with like. A low headline rate can hide missing review steps or formatting charges.

4. When does a government or health campaign need more than translation?

A campaign needs more than translation when people must understand, trust and act on the message, such as health advice, safety information or access to services. In these cases, plain language, cultural adaptation and community testing matter as much as accuracy.

Start with the English. If the source text is dense or full of jargon, every translation inherits those problems. Then test translated materials with native speakers from the target communities before launch, and involve community representatives in co-design on high-stakes projects. Think about the channels each community actually uses, not just where the English version runs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, LEXIGO’s multicultural communications team worked with the Australian Government on communications in 63 languages. Advice changed quickly, and each update had to be accurate, culturally appropriate and published fast. Speed mattered, but so did certified linguists, secure processes and cultural review.

5. How do brands adapt campaigns for multicultural Australia without losing meaning?

Brands keep meaning by adapting the intent of a message, not just its words, through a process called transcreation. That means briefing your partner on the objective, audience and tone, then allowing headlines, imagery and calls to action to change where needed.

A literal translation can be correct and still fall flat or cause offence. Idioms, humour, colours, forms of address and even the order of information vary across cultures. A campaign for Vietnamese-speaking families in western Sydney may need a different headline and different images from the English original. Build in in-language review and test with real audiences before launch.

In The Authenticity Advantage, I argue that people trust organisations that sound as though they genuinely understand them. Accuracy is the minimum. Authenticity is what earns trust.

The takeaway: choose your translation partner on credentials, security and cultural capability, not on price per word alone.

Mark Saba is the Founder of LEXIGO, an Australian specialist translation services and multicultural communications agency working across 171 languages. He is the author of The Authenticity Advantage and helps organisations communicate with multilingual audiences across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.