Interpreter-mediated aphasia assessments

Mismatches in frames and professional orientations

Authors

  • Peter Roger Macquarie University
  • Chris Code University of Exeter

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.38680

Keywords:

aphasia, frame analysis, interpreter, language assessment, professional discourse, speech pathologist

Abstract

A setting which presents special challenges for interpreter-mediated communication is the speech pathology clinic, particularly when the encounter involves the assessment of aphasia. Drawing on a corpus of five interpreter-mediated assessments of aphasia in speakers of a range of languages (Cantonese, Greek, Tagalog and Vietnamese), this paper presents the findings of an interactive framing analysis of the corpus, focusing on illustrative extracts from two of the encounters. Analysis reveals that while the interpreters are frequently oriented towards issues of ‘meaning’ or ‘content’, the speech pathologists are generally oriented to issues of ‘form’. This is evident from the fact that the speech pathologists frequently question the interpreters about the ways in which the speaker’s language is abnormal. The interpreters, however, tend to respond to such questions with reference to their impressions of the person’s intended meaning. It is argued that these differences in orientation can be explained by the different professional knowledge schemata of speech pathologists and interpreters and the fundamentally ‘uninterpretable’ nature of many of the speakers’ utterances. This lack of shared understanding makes the interaction inefficient, and frequently results in a situation where the person with aphasia is put ‘on hold’. The paper concludes with a discussion of some practical implications for the conduct of interpretermediated aphasia assessments.

Author Biographies

  • Peter Roger, Macquarie University

    Peter Roger is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics at Macquarie University.  A medical graduate from the University of Sydney, he worked as a medical practitioner for several years before going on to complete a PhD in communication sciences and disorders.  His research interests include communication in healthcare contexts, and individual differences in second language acquisition. He is co-author (with Sally Candlin) of Communication and Professional Relationships in Healthcare Practice(Equinox, 2013).

  • Chris Code, University of Exeter

    Chris Code is Professorial Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology, University of Exeter and Foundation Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Sydney (1992-1998). He is the co-founding editor of the international journal Aphasiology. His research interests include the cognitive neuroscience of language and speech, psychosocial consequences of aphasia, aphasia and the evolution of language and speech, recovery and treatment of aphasia, and public awareness of aphasia.

References

Beck, C. S. and Ragan, S. L. (1992) Negotiating interpersonal and medical talk: Frame shifts in the gynaecologic exam. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 11 (1-2): 47-61. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X92111004

Clark, E. (1998) Interpreting for Speech Pathology: An Ethnographic Study. Unpublished Master’s dissertation, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Coupland, J., Robinson, J. D. and Coupland, N. (1994) Frame negotiation in doctor-elderly patient consultations. Discourse and Society 5 (1): 89-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926594005001005

Coupland, N. and Jaworski, A. (1997) Relevance, accommodation and conversation: Modeling the social dimension of communication. Multilingua 16 (2-3): 233-258. https://doi.org/10.1515/mult.1997.16.2-3.233

Frey, R., Roberts-Smith, L. and Bessell-Browne, S. (1990) Working with Interpreters in Law, Health and Social Work. Canberra: National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Gentile, A., Ozolins, U. and Vasilakakos, M. (1996) Liaison Interpreting. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press.

Goffman, E. (1974) Frame Analysis: An Essay on the Organization of Experience. London: Harper and Row.

Goodglass, H. and Kaplan, E. (1983) Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (2nd edition). Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.

Goodwin, C. (1981) Conversational Organization: Interaction between Speakers and Hearers. New York: Academic Press.

Goodwin, C. (2000) Action and embodiment within situated human interaction. Journal of Pragmatics 32 (10): 1499-1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-2166(99)00096-X

Halvorsen, K. and Sarangi, S. (2015) Team decision-making in workplace meetings: The interplay of activity roles and discourse roles. Journal of Pragmatics 76: 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.11.002

Isaac, K. (2002) Speech Pathology in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. London: Whurr Publications.

Kertesz, A. (1982) The Western Aphasia Battery. New York: Grune and Stratton.

Merlini, R. and Favaron, R. (2005) Examining the ‘Voice of Interpreting’ in speech pathology. Interpreting 7 (2): 263-302. https://doi.org/10.1075/intp.7.2.07mer

National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (2000) Ethics of Translation and Interpreting: A Guide to Professional Conduct in Australia. Canberra: NAATI.

Ribeiro, B. T. (1993) Framing in psychotic discourse. In D. Tannen (ed.) Framing in Discourse, 77-113. New York: Oxford University Press.

Ribeiro, B. T. and Bastos, L. C. (2005) Telling stories in two psychiatric interviews: A discussion on frame and narrative. AILA Review 18: 58-75. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.18.06tel

Roger, P. and Code, C. (2011) Lost in translation? Issues of content validity in interpreter-mediated aphasia assessments. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 13 (1): 61-73. https://doi.org/10.3109/17549507.2011.549241

Roger, P., Code, C. and Sheard, C. (2000) Assessment and management of aphasia in a linguistically diverse society. Asia Pacific Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing 5 (1): 21-34. https://doi.org/10.1179/136132800807547573

Sarangi, S. (2015) Experts on experts: Sustaining ‘communities of interest’ in professional discourse studies. In M. Gotti, S. Maci and M. Sala (eds) Insights into Medical Communication, 25-47. Bern: Peter Lang.

Siyambalapitiya, S. and Davidson, B. (2015) Managing aphasia in bilingual and culturally and linguistically diverse individuals in an Australian context. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology 17 (1): 13-19.

Speech Pathology Australia (n.d.) Fact Sheet: How do Speech Pathologists work in a Multilingual and Culturally Diverse Society? Available online: http://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/library/4.1_How_do_Speech_Pathologists_work_in_a_Multilingual_Culturally_Diverse_Society.pdf

Tannen, D. and Wallat, C. (1993) Interactive frames and knowledge schemas in interaction: Examples from a medical examination/interview. In D. Tannen (ed.) Framing in Discourse, 57-76. New York: Oxford University Press.

Thomassen, G. (2009) The role of role-play: Managing activity ambiguities in simulated doctor consultation in medical education. Communication & Medicine 6 (1): 83-93. https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.v6i1.83

Wadensjö, C. (1998) Interpreting as Interaction. Harlow, UK: Addison Wesley Longman.

Whitworth, A. and Sjardin, H. (1993) The bilingual person with aphasia - The Australian context. In D. Lafond, Y. Joanette, J. Ponzio, R. Degiovani and M. Taylor Sarno (eds) Living with Aphasia: Psychosocial Issues, 129-150. San Diego, CA: Singular Publishing Group.

Published

2020-03-14

How to Cite

Roger, P., & Code, C. (2020). Interpreter-mediated aphasia assessments: Mismatches in frames and professional orientations. Communication and Medicine, 15(2), 233-244. https://doi.org/10.1558/cam.38680