Communicating in medical settings: strategies & challenges for effective cross-cultural interpreting

Abstract

This thesis examines ways in which interpreting practice in healthcare settings can be enhanced in order to better facilitate communication with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. This study is based on 17 audio-recordings of semi-structured interviews with interpreters of Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal Liaison Officers (ALOs) in metropolitan, regional and remote sites in Australia. This thesis is built around two major research questions. The first focuses on how interpreters and ALOs talk about how they do their work. The findings illustrate that the interpreters and ALOs use storytelling to talk about their professional practice. A small story and narrative positioning a..