Cultural and linguistic differences, a major challenge in Nunavik, can compromise the quality of care offered and the understanding of a given situation by non-Inuit workers. Interpreters are crucial in the delivery of health care and social services to Nunavimmiut. Working in collaboration with an interpreter can be beneficial not only for the provider, but also for the youth and their families. In this presentation, we discuss the roles of interpreters, as well as concrete strategies for working well with them.
Meeting Resources
References
- Andrulis DP, Brach C. Integrating literacy, culture, and language to improve health care quality for diverse populations. Am J Health Behav. 2007;31:122–133.
- Auclair, G., & Sappa, M. (2012). Mental health in Inuit youth from Nunavik: clinical considerations on a transcultural, interdisciplinary, community-oriented approach. Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 21(2), 124.
- Bischoff A, Bovier PA, Isah, Rrustemi I, et al. Language barriers between nurses and asylum seekers: Their impact on symptom reporting and referral. Soc Sci Med 2003;57(3):503-12
- Flores G. The impact of medical interpreter services on the quality of health care: A systematic review. Med Care Res Rev 2005;62(3):255-99.
- Flores, G., Laws, M. B., Mayo, S. J., Zuckerman, B., Abreu, M., Medina, L., & Hardt, E. J. (2003). Errors in medical interpretation and their potential clinical consequences in pediatric encounters. Pediatrics, 111(1), 6-14.
- Hordyk, S. R., Macdonald, M. E., & Brassard, P. (2017). Inuit interpreters engaged in end-of-life care in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. International journal of circumpolar health, 76(1), 1291868.
- Kaufert JM, Putsch RW. Communication through interpreters in healthcare: ethical dilemmas arising from differences in class, culture, language, and power. J Clin Ethics. 1997;8:71–87
- Butow P. Communicating with culturally and linguistically diverse patients in cancer care. Communicating Qual Saf Health Care. 2015 Aug;11:245
- Hsieh E. Bilingual Health Communication: working with interpreters in cross-cultural care. Newyork (NY): Routledge; 2016.
- Miletich, M. (2015). Accounting for nonverbal communication in interpreter-mediated events in healthcare settings. Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts, 1(2), 162-181.
- Pitatsimajut. Working with interpreters. 2020
To Go Further
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