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Reconceptulizing Language Discordance: Meanings and Experiences of Language Barriers in the U.S. and Taiwan
1Department of Communication, University of Oklahoma, 610 Elm Ave #101, Norman, OK, 73019, USA. ehsieh@ou.edu.
Abstract:
Individuals with language barriers may face challenges unique to a host society. By examining and comparing the sociocultural conditions that can result in providers and patients not sharing the same language in the United States and in Taiwan, I argue that (a) language discordance is a social phenomenon that may entail diverging meanings and experiences in different countries; (b) language-discordant patients may not share similar experiences even if they are in the same country; and (c) disparities in language concordance may be confounded with other disparities and cultural particulars that are unique to a host society. In addition, because English is a dominant language in medicine, language-discordant patients' quality of care in Taiwan can be moderated by their fluency in English.
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