Language mediation and patient-centered communication

In this paper we aim to contribute to the body of research conducted on interpreting in the healthcare setting by expanding its current range as a result of looking at the impact of language mediation on patient-centered communication. Based on data gathered from a mixed-methods study in five EU Member States (Germany, Greece, Italy Spain and the United Kingdom ) and from a 22-month ethnography conducted in California, this paper shows that when a provider/patient interaction is mediated by an interpreter, regardless of the modality used (face-to-face, or remotely e.g., video-teleconferencing or on speaker phone) and the theoretical assumptions and prescriptions to the contrary, the participation of the third interlocutor impacts the provider-patient relationship. This impact needs to be considered when discussing patient-centered or relationship-centered approaches to healthcare.

The paper starts by introducing healthcare-medical interpreting as a situated practice and its relationship to people’s movement, patient mobility and technological developments increasing the frequency and quantity of interpreted-mediated encounters. After briefly reviewing the historical background of medical interpreting, the literature on education and training of professional and non-professional interpreters, on person-centered care as well as on the provider-patient relationship this paper discusses two excerpts from previous studies and argues for a re-conceptualization of the provider-patient relationship to account for interpreted-mediated interactions with linguistically diverse patients.