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COMMUNICATION in health care is a complex issue. Language and cultural barriers complicate the situation. Language is the framework in which the world view of a culture is molded, and it describes the boundaries and perspectives of a cultural system.2A language barrier disarms a communicant's ability to assess meanings, intent, emotions, and reactions and creates a state of dependency on the individual who holds the keys to the entire process—the interpreter. Interpretation requires a great deal of skill. Interpreters find it necessary to describe and explain terms, ideas, and processes that lie outside of the linguistic systems of clients. The interpretation process must account for divergent world views. Individuals and cultures have varying perspectives regarding the cause, presentation, course, and treatment3of sickness, as well as the risk it represents to others. The following discussion will focus on the role of interpreters. At the same time, the
Robert W. Putsch (Fri,) studied this question.