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Towards multilingualism in global health
Ralph Hurley O'Dwyer1,2, Rebecca C Stout3,4, Émilie S Koum Besson5
1Department of Public Health, HSE Dublin and Midlands, Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. ralph.hurley@hse.ie.
Globalization and Health
|April 4, 2025
Summary
Monolingualism in global health, particularly English dominance, creates inequities in research and healthcare, especially for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Addressing this requires promoting multilingualism to ensure equitable access and inclusion.
Area of Science:
- Global Health
- Medical Ethics
- Sociolinguistics
Background:
- The decolonizing global health movement overlooks the impact of monolingualism.
- English dominates global health discourse, research, and education.
- This linguistic hegemony disadvantages non-native English speakers and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the inequities perpetuated by English's dominance in global health.
- To advocate for a paradigm shift towards multilingualism in medical practice and research.
- To propose actionable solutions for linguistic inclusivity in global health.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of linguistic power dynamics in global health.
- Review of existing literature on language barriers in healthcare and research.
- Exploration of historical context of language use in formerly colonized nations.
Main Results:
- English dominance creates significant barriers to health information access for minoritized populations.
- Researchers from non-native English-speaking backgrounds face discrimination.
- Patients in LMICs experience mistrust and exclusion due to language barriers.
Conclusions:
- Urgent systemic change is needed to address linguistic inequities in global health.
- Solutions include expanding foreign language education and supporting minoritized languages.
- Promoting multilingualism is crucial for effective, equitable global health actions.
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