What About Linguistic Diversity?

Abstract

Cultural diversity is a term often referred to in discussions relating to multicultural health care. Yet multicultural health care also often involves language differences between patients and health professionals. Linguistic diversity is an important issue to consider, especially when patients have limited English proficiency. Although interpreters are often used to bridge the communication gap, the question remains as to how familiar health professionals are with the complexities of the interpretation process and the risks of using a nontrained interpreter. This article explores the issue of linguistic diversity in health care, with a particular focus on interpreter-mediated interactions.