Agency in Multilingual Health Communication

With people currently migrating or fleeing their countries, multilingual communication in health care and especially consideration of agency on the part of those involved is a challenge to any modern society. Nonetheless, individual societies vary in the ways they approach and cope with it. Research literature shows that the possibilities and limitations of communication and linguistic processes in medical institutions strongly influence the quality and outcome of health care.

With a focus on psychosocial services, the international network is analyzing multilingual communication among (health care) experts—among themselves and with their patients, families, and interpreters—in both inpatient and outpatient psychosocial institutions, in order to identify best practices and ways to improve communication and to develop ideas for future practices.

The project deepens existing cooperation between the partners and yields new findings thanks to its common interdisciplinary focus on agency in psychiatric care.

Aspects of the topic will be addressed in regular university lectures. Hybrid formats enable the participation of students from the participating universities. Learning material is used by all.