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Interpreting in Legal and Healthcare Settings: Perspectives on research and training
Edited by Eva N.S. Ng and Ineke H.M. Crezee
[Benjamins Translation Library 151] 2020
► pp. 287–311

Chapter 12
Overcoming language barriers in the Spanish healthcare context

The progression towards multicultural societies impacts on the quality of communication between professionals and their clients. This chapter focuses on the analysis of communication in a specific setting, namely the Spanish healthcare system, and concludes that language is a significant barrier to optimal patient outcomes. An analysis is given of one of the approaches used to mitigate the language barriers between medical professional and patient: INTER+MED, a project which aimed to design training for, coordinate and monitor a team of interlingual and intercultural mediators working in health centres in the Madrid region of central Spain. An analysis of the data obtained from surveys of patients and professionals is presented, followed by a discussion of themes which emerged from the interpreter observation forms pertaining to specific ethnic groups.

Keywords: healthcare, mediation, interpreting, language barriers
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: Historical perspective
  • 2.The INTER+MED Project: Main objectives and methodology
  • 3.Developing the INTER+MED Project
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Results from the surveys with users
    • 4.2Data obtained from the surveys carried out with healthcare professionals
    • 4.3Analysis of the recorded consultations and observation forms
      • 4.3.1Care for patients of Romanian origin
      • 4.3.2Care for patients of Nigerian origin
      • 4.3.3Care for the Chinese population
        • 4.3.3.1Management of consultation times
        • 4.3.3.2Relationship between doctor and Chinese patients
        • 4.3.3.3Training of the interpreter/mediator
  • 5.Conclusions and suggestions for future action
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 3 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.151.12val
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