Accounting for nonverbal communication in interpreter-mediated events in healthcare settings

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-181
Author(s):  
Marko Miletich

Interpreters express in one language what is said in another. Verbal language is, of course, the basic system by which humans often interact, and a large percentage of our communication is based on the exchange of words. Bilingual language skills are fundamental and are, as might be expected, emphasized in any interpreter-training program. Issues dealing with verbal language such as knowledge of medical terminology in two languages, cognates, false cognates, syntactical structures, and idioms are essential. They should be a very important part of the training provided for interpreters working in many public service settings (legal, health, education, housing, environmental health, and social services). Although the organized system of vocal sounds, known as verbal language, is fundamental to communicate meaning between individuals, there are also nonverbal features that are utilized in everyday conversation (including interpreted-mediated events). Following Fernando Poyatos (2002a, 2002b, 2002c), this article briefly examines the triple structure of discourse, language-paralanguage-kinesics, and its relevance for interpreters. One of the main differences between public service interpreting and other types of interpreting (such as conference interpreting) is the opportunity for interpreters to intervene, particularly in healthcare settings. These interventions occur in order to stop the flow of the conversation and clarify terms, expressions or ideas; point to a misunderstanding; signal a cultural reference; and/or relay the meaning of specific nonverbal behavior. The idea of the interpreter as mere conduit has now been put into question, and with reason. S/he is now regarded as a visible co-participant in a verbal and nonverbal interaction that allows two people from different languages and cultures to communicate with each other. Because nonverbal communication is an important part of the triadic interpreted-mediated events that take place in healthcare settings, it is becoming much more visible as part of interpreter education. The present article first considers communication through nonverbal signs, and often just through nonverbal signs. Next, it stresses the need for interpreters to account for nonverbal cues in the routine triadic events taking place in healthcare settings. The article adopts an expanded definition of interpreting, a particular notion of language, and a constructivist approach to learning.

Public Voices ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Mastracci

In this paper, the author examines public service as depicted in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS). First, she shows how slaying meets the economist’s definition of a public good, using the BtVS episode “Flooded” (6.04). Second, she discusses public service motivation (PSM) to determine whether or not Buffy, a public servant, operates from a public service ethic. Relying on established measures and evidence from shooting scripts and episode transcripts, the author concludes Buffy is a public servant motivated by a public service ethic. In this way, BtVS informs scholarship on public service by broadening the concept of PSM beyond the public sector; prompting one to wonder whether it is located in a sector, an occupation, or in the individual. These conclusions allow the author to situate Buffy alongside other idealized public servants in American popular culture.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
pp. 113-117
Author(s):  
M.O. Buk

This article is dedicated to the analysis of the essential hallmarks of social services procurement. The attention is focused on the absence of the unity of the scientists’ thoughts as for the definition of the term “social procurement”. It has been determined that in the foreign scientific literature the scientists to denote the term “social procurement” use the notions “social contracting”, “social order” and “social commissioning”, and they use these notions with slightly different meanings. Therefore, the notion “social procurement” is defined as: 1) activity of a country; 2) form of the state support; 3) complex of measures; 4) legal mechanism. The article has grounded the expediency of the definition of social procurement in the legal relations of social care as a special legal way to influence the behavior of the parties of the social care legal relations. The publication advocates the idea that social procurement is one of the conditions for the rise of the state and private sectors partnership. The state-private partnership in the legal relations regarding the provision of social services is proposed to be defined as cooperation between Ukraine, AR of Crimea, territorial communities represented by the competent state bodies, self-government bodies (authorized bodies in the sphere of social services provision) and legal entities, but for the state and municipal enterprises and establishments, and organizations (providers of social services) regarding the provision of social services, which is carried out on the basis of an agreement and under the procedure set by the Law of Ukraine “On Social Services” and other legal acts that regulate the social care legal relations. The article substantiates the thesis that the subject of the social procurement is social services and resolution of social issues of the state/regional/local levels in the aspect of the satisfaction of the needs of people/families for social services (state/regional/local programs of social services). It has been determined that the main forms of realization of the social procurement in the social care legal relations are public procurements of social services and financing of the state/regional/local programs of social services. The public procurement of social services is carried out under the procedure set by the Law of Ukraine “On  Public Procurement” taking into account the special features determined by the Law of Ukraine “On Social Services”. The social procurement in the form of financing of the state/regional/local programs of social services is decided upon the results of the tender announced by a client according to the plan for realization of the corresponding target program.


Author(s):  
Marishetti Niharika

Eye gazing is the fundamental nonverbal interaction that is presently strengthening in emerging technology. This eye blink device facilitates communication among people with disabilities. The process is so simple that it can be done with the eyes blinking on the specific keys built into the virtual keyboard. This type of system may synthesize speech, regulate his environment, and provide a significant boost in self-belief in the individual. Our study emphasises the virtual keyboard, which not only includes integrated alphabetic keys but also contains emergency phrases that may seek help in a variety of scenarios. It can, however, provide voice notification and speech assistance to those who are speech-impaired. To get this, we employed our PC/computer digital Digi-Cam, which is integrated and recognises the face and its elements. As a result, the technique for detecting the face is far less complicated than everything else. The blink of an eye provides an opportunity for a mouse to click on the digital interface. Our goal is to provide nonverbal communication, and as a result, physically impaired people should be able to communicate with the use of a voice assistant. This type of innovation is a blessing for those who have lost their voice or are suffering from paralytic ailments.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-31
Author(s):  
Jacquelyn Elkington

Pakiwaitara (Elkington, 2001) came about as a gap identified in social service delivery between western, middle class, dominant culture and the healing of Māori whānau in crisis. While education has responded to this gap by offering bicultural training, ensuring more Māori components within degree programmes, etc, social services statistics are still high for Māori and indigenous peoples. It has helped to shift the definition of cultural supervision to inside the definition of specialised professional supervision (Elkington, 2014), but now continued invisibility of values and beliefs, particularly that of Tauiwi, exacerbate the problem. The challenge must still be asserted so that same-culture practitioners are strengthened in same-culture social work practice (eg, by Māori, for Māori), and to avoid when possible, or otherwise by choice, white dominant-culture practice, for all-and-every-culture social work practice (eg, by Pākehā, for everyone).


2012 ◽  
pp. 851-874
Author(s):  
Juha Mykkänen ◽  
Konstantin Hyppönen ◽  
Pekka Kortelainen ◽  
Antero Lehmuskoski ◽  
Virpi Hotti ◽  
...  

In this chapter, the authors introduce and discuss the approach for defining IT interoperability solutions on national level for social services in Finland. Goals and phases of the national initiative are presented, and various projects related to the transformation and unification of various aspects of supporting social services via interoperability solutions are illustrated. In addition, the path from general e-Government requirements through the definition of domain-specific information and documentation down to the development of technology solutions and dissemination plan is presented. The authors highlight several success factors and issues for the organization of multipartite collaboration, the specification of architectural and information management approach, the selection and definition of technology standards to support the domain-specific information needs and specifications and strategic alternatives for central information repositories.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Author(s):  
Patrick O’Donnell ◽  
Khalifa Elmusharaf

Social exclusion is a concept that has been discussed and debated in many disciplines in recent decades. In 2006 the WHO Social Exclusion Knowledge Network published a report detailing their work explaining the relevance of social exclusion to the domain of health. As part of that work, the authors formulated a complex definition of social exclusion that has proven difficult to adapt or operationalize in healthcare settings. We looked at this WHO work, and at other published evidence, and decided that social exclusion is a concept that is worth measuring at the individual level in healthcare settings. We suggest that the primary healthcare space, in particular, is an ideal setting in which to do that measurement. We have examined existing social exclusion measurement tools, and scrutinised the approaches taken by their authors, and the various domains they measured. We now propose to develop and validate such a tool for use in primary healthcare settings.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S238-S238
Author(s):  
Pamela B Teaster ◽  
Georgia Anetzberger

Abstract Researchers, practitioners and policymakers are daily confronted with multiple and competing situations regarding vulnerable older adults and the complex issues that they face in all aspects of their lives. Challenges can arise in the provision of social services, dispensing justice, conducting research, or addressing legal issues. The purpose of this symposium is to discuss dilemmas that vulnerable older adults and concerned others face by elucidating current and future challenges facing this population, particularly in the realms of compromised health (cognitive impairment); effective status (gender); care arrangements (home and community-based services); and abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Teaster and Anetzberger discuss relevant ethical theories and principles as well as a definition of vulnerability. Santos and Nichols-Hadeed report on ethical issues embedded in vulnerable elders’ cognitive status. Bowland and Halaas highlight the intersection of ethics, gender and vulnerable elders. Niles-Yokum and Beaumaster discuss the nexus of ethics and the provision of home and community based services for vulnerable older adults. Heisler considers vulnerabilities of older adults and ethical challenges when addressing elder abuse. Throughout the papers, we weave the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.


Author(s):  
Marjorie Johnstone

Bessie Touzel (1904–1997) left her mark on the local, provincial, and national levels in Canadian social services. Through her visionary development of concrete strategies for developing social policy, and establishing equitable welfare standards, she contributed lasting blueprints for social action and a re-definition of social responsibility.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-122
Author(s):  
Alastair Lockhart

The article offers a critical analysis of the cognitive science of religion (CSR) as applied to new and quasi-religious movements, and uncovers implicit conceptual and theoretical commitments of the approach. A discussion of CSR’s application to new religious movement (NRM) case studies (charismatic leadership, paradise representations, Aḥmadiyya, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) identifies concerns about the theorized relationship between CSR and wider socio-cultural factors, and proposals for CSR’s implication in wider processes are discussed. The main discussion analyses three themes in recent work relating CSR to religious and religion-like activities that extend and reframe the model. These include (1) identification of distinctive and accessible cognitive pathways associated with new forms of religious belief and practice (in particular in ‘New Age’ movements), (2) application of CSR to movements and practices outside traditional definitions of religion (near death experiences, conspiracy theories, virtual reality), and (3) engaging CSR in wider cultural processes and negotiations (religion in healthcare settings, and the definition of the study of esoteric religious traditions within academic domains). The conclusion identifies two particular findings: (1) that application of CSR in these areas renders underlying cognitive processes more available to scrutiny and (2) that CSR is employed to identify and enlarge the category of religion. The conclusion suggests that the study of CSR in its application to NRMs and quasi-religion identifies a wide field of common and overlapping themes and interests in which CSR is a more active operand than is commonly assumed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document