Cultural Brokerage in Mediated Health Consultations

An Analysis of Interactional Features and Participant Perceptions in an Audiology Context

Authors

  • Claire Penn University of the Witwatersrand
  • Jennifer Watermeyer University of the Witwatersrand
  • Tom Koole Utrecht University
  • Janet de Picciotto University of the Witwatersrand
  • Dale Ogilvy University of the Witwatersrand
  • Mandy Fisch Island Hearing Services, Vancouver

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v1i1.135

Keywords:

interpreter, cultural brokerage, mediated interaction, audiology, Conversation Analysis

Abstract

The majority of clinical interviews in South Africa take place across cultural and linguistic boundaries and are often mediated by a third party whose role is little understood. This paper will describe a study undertaken in an audiology clinic to characterise features of cultural brokerage in interpreted audiological consultations. Data included recorded interactions and interviews with participants regarding the interactive process. Six mediated interactions were video-recorded, transcribed, translated and analysed in terms of conversation features, based on Conversation Analysis techniques. Linguistic features which appear to reflect cultural brokerage include the phenomena of elaboration and addition performed by interpreters. Participants had some awareness of these phenomena and of the role of the interpreter as cultural broker, but the data suggest that the function of cultural brokerage is not necessarily an explicit one. This has implications for interpreting practice and we derive suggestions for the role of the cultural broker in health care interactions.

Author Biography

  • Claire Penn, University of the Witwatersrand

    Prof Claire Penn is the founder of the Health Communication Project, a multidisciplinary research group which focuses on health communication practices in multilingual contexts. She holds an endowed Chair in the Discipline of Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of the Witwatersrand. She has a special interest in health communication research in multilingual and multicultural contexts, as well as in ethical and cultural issues.

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Published

2010-09-29

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Penn, C., Watermeyer, J., Koole, T., de Picciotto, J., Ogilvy, D., & Fisch, M. (2010). Cultural Brokerage in Mediated Health Consultations: An Analysis of Interactional Features and Participant Perceptions in an Audiology Context. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 1(1), 135-156. https://doi.org/10.1558/jircd.v1i1.135

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