Abstracts Category : Other

Multilingualism in Health Care: Communicative experiences of expatriate healthcare providers with varying linguistic repertoires in Windhoek, Namibia

by Nelson Mlambo

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study reports on the investigation of communicative practices among multilingualparticipants in healthcare in Windhoek, Namibia, from the perspective of expatriate healthcarepractitioners working in the private sector. The multilingual environment of healthcare hasremained largely uninvestigated in Namibia, which is a matter of concern considering howheavily Namibia relies on healthcare providers of foreign origin whose linguistic repertoiresare diverse. The general objective of this research was to gain insight into multilingualcommunicative resources and needs, and how from the perspective of healthcare providers(HCPs), communication is managed. The study has a qualitative research design, using aquestionnaire to collect data from 19 HCPs. The 19 HCPs who participated in this study selfreporteda wide range of linguistic biographies; in addition to their mother tongue/homelanguage the HCPs indicated that they had acquired various other languages. English wasacquired by all participants at an early age, most between the ages three and nine years old.The context of English language acquisition was reported as the school environment, startingas early as in pre-primary school. Expatriate HCPs with many languages in their repertoireworking in a multilingual context found the linguistic diversity among colleagues and patientsto be challenging to a lesser extent, and enriching to a greater extent. The study further foundthat the expatriate HCP respondents experience the use of many languages to be an engagementthat broadens their professional, social and cultural views and this ultimately results inimproved work relations and improved HCP-patient relationships. The use of English as wellas indigenous Namibian and foreign languages was found rather to improve than prohibitefficient interactions with the patients, and multilingualism was found to be a resource,especially within a context like Windhoek, Namibia. AFRIKAANS OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie doen verslag oor kommunikatiewe gebruike wat ontwikkel het tussen veeltaligeswerksaam in gesondheidsorg in Windhoek, Namibi, gesien uit die perspektief van buitelandsepraktisyns werksaam in die privaat mediese sektor. Die veeltalige omgewing vangesondheidsorg is nog nie wesenlik ondersoek in Namibi nie. Dit is kommerwekkend as in aggeneem word in watter mate Namibi afhanklik is van buitelandse gesondheidsorg voorsienersmet uiteenlopende en verskillende taalkundige repertoires. Die oorkoepelende doel van hierdienavorsing is om inligting in te win oor veeltalige kommunikatiewe hulpbronne en behoeftes,en hoe, uit die perspektief van die buitelandse mediese personeel, kommunikasie tussenveeltaliges met verskillende repertoires bestuur word. n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp isgebruik om data by 19 deelnemers, almal werksaam in gesondheidsorg, in te samel. Diedeelnemers het gegewens uit hulle eie talige biografie aangebied, en in die proses ook almalaangedui dat hulle naas hulle moedertaalAdvisors/Committee Members: Anthonissen, Christine, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics..