Interpreter Wanted. The Impact of Specialised Language on Migrant Women’s Perception of Healthcare Interaction

Abstract

This paper focuses on healthcare communication and the impact of specialised language within doctor-patient relations in an intercultural context and from a gender-oriented perspective. A sample of twenty migrant Romanian female patients was surveyed to explore the way they perceived interactions with physicians back in Romania and the way they do so in Spain today. Providers of health services for linguistic minorities are expected to cope with needs and cultural beliefs, expectations and behaviours in an effective and culturally sensitive way. My hypotheses are: doctors and patients’ perceptions of medical terms with various degrees of scientificity differ; the usage of medical terms with face-threatening effects influences the doctor-patient relationship; the interpreter, as a third party who mediates doctor-patient interactions can overcome misunderstandings. The two first hypotheses will be contrasted with the results of my survey analysis, whereas the third is dealt with in previous research in the matter.