Free translation service. If you are not good at English, be sure to save it!

TIS National has more than 60,000 registered clients, including the Department of Home Affairs. Some of TIS National's other clients include:

• State and federal government departments

• Local municipal government

• Medical and health professionals

•pharmacist

• Utility companies

•Telecommunications companies

• Emergency Services

•Legal service agencies

• Settlement and community services agencies

TIS National cannot guarantee that the organisation you need to contact will accept a call from TIS National with the assistance of an interpreter.

TIS National provides interpreting services 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

The organisation you contact may only be available during their normal working hours, and these hours may vary from organisation to organisation. Standard working hours for most organisations in Australia are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Many organisations are not available on public holidays.

1. Call TIS National on 131 450. You will hear TIS National's privacy statement.

2. You will be asked on the phone: What language do you need an interpreter for? Say your language.

3. You will be asked on the phone: Are you a business customer of TIS National? You should say: No.

4. Your call will be transferred to an English-speaking TIS National operator. While waiting, you will hear a voice recorded in your native language: "We are connecting to the operator, please wait."

5.The TIS National operator will confirm your language again.

6. The TIS National operator will ask you to wait on the phone while they call the interpreter. You will hear the following voice recorded in your native language: "We are trying to contact an interpreter, please wait."

If there is an interpreter for your language, the TIS National operator will then connect you to the interpreter and ask you which agency you need to contact.

o When you call TIS National, have the name of the organisation, its telephone number and your client or account number with the organisation (if you have one) ready.

o The interpreter will tell the TIS National operator who you need to speak to, and the operator will then call to connect you and the interpreter to the requested agency.

If there is no interpreter for your language, the operator will ask you to call back later. If you speak more than one language, you can request an interpreter for another language.

Yes. TIS National provides on-site interpreting services. If you require an on-site interpreter, you should contact the organisation you need to speak to via TIS National's telephone interpreters and ask them to arrange an on-site interpreter for you.

If you need to contact the ambulance, police or fire emergency services you should call 000 directly. 000 Emergency Services will call TIS National and connect you to an interpreter using a priority line which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Yes. Most of TIS National's interpreting services are free for people who don't speak English. Usually, the organisation you contact will accept a fee for the service. Some organisations and medical professionals are eligible for free interpreting services through TIS National.

Some organisations may not accept calls from TIS National, but if you call the organisation directly they may be able to call you back using a telephone interpreter.

If the organisation you want to contact is not a client of TIS National and they do not wish to be charged for the services, you can open a personal account and pay for the services yourself. To do this, tell the interpreter and a TIS National operator will assist you in opening the account. You will need a credit card to open a personal account.

No. TIS National does not provide translation services for commercial documents.

The Department of Social Services (DSS) provides a free document translation service for people settling permanently in Australia. Permanent residents and some temporary visa holders can have up to ten eligible documents translated into English within two years of the date their eligible visa was issued.

The DSS website has more information about the free translation service (translating.dss.gov.au/en/about-this-service).

You can contact the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) (https://www.naati.com.au/) for information about other translation options.