ETHNIC AND MIGRATION ETHNOLINGUISTIC DIVERSITY: THE CHALLENGE (NEW STAGE) FOR THE HEALTH SECTOR IN SPAIN, MEXICO, AND RUSSIA

Ekaterina Zvereva¹, Kamo Chilingaryan²*
¹PhD at RUDN University, RUSSIA, frakatr@yandex.ru
²Associate professor RUDN University, RUSSIA, chili1@yandex.ru
*Corresponding Author

Abstract

Migration and social mobility are an integral part of the life and development of modern society. In this regard, public services of developed countries have faced the need to adapt their activities to new conditions and develop other strategies with different ethnic groups of the population. Russia, Spain and Mexico have always been multicultural states, and now a number of problems related to migration processes have been added to this diversity. One of the most significant consequences of increasing migratory flows is the "erosion" of identity and the impact on the ethno-political and linguistic situation in Europe and, to a lesser extent, in Latin America. Mutual co-existence of two or more different cultures is a rather complex and painful process, since migrants are reluctant to assimilate and live according to the laws and rules of culture of the recipient country.

The current situation calls for the development of collective approaches based on the principles of humanism and a reasonable balance between the protection of linguistic human rights and the national interests of host states. Nowadays, translators and interpreters working in the field of public services are carrying out their activities in the context of multicultural language communities, which, undoubtedly, determines the specific features of the translation practice and requires new approaches.

All these factors determine the relevance of the problem under study. The article is aimed at the identification of the most common types of barriers that prevent the access to quality services in health care, distinguishing the difficulties faced by professionals in the health care providing medical services to persons who do not know or have a weak command of the official language, definition of strategies for overcoming language barriers between medical staff and patients, and training of specialists in cultural and linguistic aspects in the health care domain. The article studies the legal framework that legislatively determines the right of citizens and non-citizens to language support in the provision of medical services. The leading approach to the study of this problem is the method of empirical analysis, statistical and comparative methods.

The article substantiates two basic approaches to the solution of the problem: mandatory participation of translators / interpreters with linguistic skills in a specific field (technical translation) and those who have the necessary competences in cultural mediation or training of medical personnel.

The materials of the article can be useful in the creation of training courses for the preparation of interpreter-mediators in the field of medical communication.

Keywords: language barriers, interpersonal communication, international migration, Cultural and linguistic diversity, ethnolinguistic diversity.