“She Will Hear Me”: How a Flexible Interpreting Style Enables Patients to Manage the Inclusion of Interpreters in Mediated Pharmacy Interactions

Abstract

Interpreters are frequently called upon to assist with communication across language barriers in health care contexts. Research has neglected the voice of the patient, and interpreting practices are often dominated by assumptions about how best to include an interpreter in interactions. Data from a South African study of interpreted pharmacy interactions provide some novel insights into how a flexible interpreting style may enable patients to initiate and manage the inclusion of interpreters in health care interactions. This study confirms the inappropriateness of the conduit model of interpreting and suggests that a flexible approach based on patient preferences and communicative needs may be more successful in realizing communication goals and achieving patient-centered interactions. Recommendations for how this style might be implemented are provided.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The author thanks the patients and pharmacists who participated in this research. The assistance of Professor Claire Penn is gratefully acknowledged. This study was supported by a grant from the National Research Foundation (NRF) and a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of the Witwatersrand.