SEEKING to practice her English, Therese Morris met her now husband when he was in Vietnam as a part of the allied forces, during the civil war.

She returned to Australia to marry and has lived in the country for more than 35 years.

Mrs Morris, 57, grew up in a multilingual environment, speaking Vietnamese at home, completing her schooling in French and learning English at high school.

She has worked as an interpreter for the multicultural health services since 1985.

“As a health care interpreter, you have got to be familiar with medical terminology and procedures and also have some empathy with the client’s situation,” said Mrs Morris.

Developing her language skills is one of the loves of her job as well as interacting with community members.

“I’ve seen many babies born and grow up. So through my interpreting I have developed a very close bond with my community,” she said.

“I have also acquired respect, because community members know that in whatever situation I go and interpret for them, that I keep all their personal issues private.”

Mrs Morris said the hardest part of the job was the waiting times to see a health professional, which could be up to an hour. More.

See: Where I Live