A lifetime of supporting the Hungarian Australian community – and she’s not stopping yet | Marta Barany BEM OAM

Interpreters and Translators Medal sponsored by NAATI

93-year-old Hungarian Marta Barany, who has worked as an interpreter and translator for over 50 years, has no plans to stop just yet.

“I couldn’t not work – I wouldn’t know what to do with my time,” Marta said.

“A few weeks ago, I went to Orange and Wollongong, and next week I’m flying to Port Macquarie!”

Born in Hungary in 1932, Marta’s early life was shaped by war and displacement.

In 1945, as Russian forces advanced, she and her family fled to Germany, where they lived as refugees for almost six years.

Amidst uncertainty, Marta flourished at the Niederaudorf Hungarian College for Girls in the Bavarian Alps.

She discovered she had a gift for languages, becoming fluent in German and studying Latin, English and French.

It was the beginning of a lifelong passion.

“I have always seen languages as the opening gateway to experiencing new cultures,” Marta said.

In 1951, Marta and her family migrated to Australia under the United Nations Displaced Persons Scheme.

They arrived after a 65-day sea voyage and spending time at Bonegilla Migrant Camp in Victoria.

“When I first arrived in Australia, the Australians I met didn’t know anything about my country,” Marta recalls with a smile.

“They would ask me; are there horses in Hungary? Is there electricity?”

After the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, Marta helped establish the ‘Hungarian Caritas’ to support newly arrived refugees.

“I remember one time we went out onto the tarmac to welcome a plane of refugees that had arrived from Hungary, waving Hungarian flags with big smiles on our faces.

“Well, the first people getting out were very confused because it turns out we had the wrong plane, and this one was arriving from India!”

At the time, Australia had no formal interpreting service, so Marta stepped in to bridge the gap.

She contributed to the establishment of the Telephone Interpreting Service (TIS) in 1972 and later to the creation of NAATI, which helped professionalise interpreting in Australia.

One memorable TIS call involved interpreting instructions from a doctor to a woman giving birth in the Australian outback.

“Telling her when to push, when to breathe…that was exciting!” she laughs.

Marta believes her Hungarian culture gives her the strength to be a good Australian citizen.

“When I first arrived, we were told we had to assimilate, but to me, being Hungarian is my identity.

“We’ve worked very hard to make multiculturalism work in this country,” Marta said.

And maintaining her Hungarian heritage has been a positive experience.

Marta served as an Ethnic Affairs Commissioner, chaired the Hungarian Olympic Committee during the 2000 Sydney Games, and now continues to interpret across New South Wales.

At 93, Marta remains driven by purpose with no desire to slow down.

“I plan to keep going as long as I can.”

Marta Barany is the winner of the 2026 Interpreters and Translators Medal.