Hedwig Skirgard, a Swedish linguistics major who came to Leipzig as a postdoctoral researcher, had only been in Germany for a few months when she needed to see a doctor. The resulting experience still resonates with her even now, after living and working in Germany for several years.
“My doctor recommended several specialists,” she said. “I contacted them using Google Translate and the little German I knew. I asked if they spoke English, but no one spoke. I asked if they had any translation services. But there wasn't. One expert suggested to me, “Bring a friend or family member to translate for me.'' This was not possible. I have no family and no friends that I feel comfortable bringing along for intimate medical discussions. ”
The strangest thing, she remembers, was the impression that doctors didn't seem to know what to do when they couldn't communicate with their patients. “Is it possible that I'll be the first immigrant to receive medical treatment in my town without advanced German speaking skills? Absolutely not?”
Scargard almost certainly did not. In 2023, the German Federal Statistical Office revealed that around 15% of people living in Germany do not primarily speak German at home. Still, as Dr. Skirgard was a little disconcerted to discover, there are few systems in place for health care providers to interact with non-German patients, and many doctors are unsure of what systems actually exist. I don't recognize that. Eventually, Skilgaard found a useful database of doctors who spoke different languages. However, her doctor didn't know that.
“It was stressful and scary. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else. I know of other cases that didn't go so well,” she said. “Physicians are feeling the hassle and pressure to provide care outside of their comfort zone and capabilities.”
Medical translation required in other countries
The majority of German doctors seem to agree. In May, the Medical Council of the German Medical Association voted in favor of two motions calling for free professional interpreting services. The reason is that the lack of such services makes it difficult for doctors to practice. work.
“Every day, we doctors treat patients whose first language is not German,” one of the motions read. “Communication is often only possible with the help of family members, colleagues in the medical profession, nursing staff and service personnel. This non-professional language mediation is not limited to translators alone. It is also a burden for the medical team and the patient, complicating diagnosis and appropriate treatment.”
Such services are not a new idea. In other European countries, it is up to the healthcare system, not the patient, to find a common language. Skagard's home country of Sweden has a centralized system in place that allows doctors to schedule a conference call with an interpreter for appointments with patients who don't speak Swedish. In Norway, patients have a legal right to receive information about their health and medical care in a language they understand, but the Irish Health Authority has issued guidelines on how doctors can find interpreters.
In Germany, on the other hand, doctors and patients are often under pressure to do the best they can, and charities like Communication in Medical Settings, a Leipzig-based university association that primarily organizes interpreters for doctors' consultations, Sometimes we rely on volunteers. More refugees and asylum seekers.
“We see ourselves as filling in the translation gap, which has to be done professionally and paid for,” Paulina, from medical communication, told DW. “But we found that there was a gap because neither the state nor health insurance companies nor clinics or hospitals were responsible for covering the costs.”
Is it a “nice to have” or a “need”?
Coincidentally, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz's coalition government is aware of this problem, pledging in its 2021 coalition contract to make each country's state health insurance company pay for translation services. A spokesperson for Germany's Health Ministry confirmed to DW that this is indeed still part of the plan and that they will recommend the coalition parties to introduce it in the health strengthening law.
But that has yet to happen and appears to be blocked by disagreements within the coalition government. Bernd Meyer, professor of intercultural communication at the University of Mainz, has been researching issues of language, integration, and culture for many years and has co-authored a book of recommendations regarding language in public institutions. He was invited to Congress last year to explain why this measure is so necessary.
“Everyone is saying this is a problem and needs to be solved,” he told DW. “But the political implementation is problematic.” He argues that providing such services is relatively cheap when considering the overall cost of the health system, but, to borrow Meyer's words, For example, it was his understanding that the federation had determined that translation services were viewed as a “nice-to-have'' rather than a “nice-to-have.'' “I need to have it.”
He said the mechanism, which would force the government to balance its books and place strict limits on new borrowing, was “basically blocked in the entire budget and debt brake debate”.
Germany is a multilingual society
As Skagard and others point out, Germany is trying to attract skilled workers. According to the German Institute for Economic Research (IW), approximately 570,000 jobs will not be secured in 2023, and as a result, companies are in a difficult situation. In September, Mr. Scholz signed a skilled labor agreement with Kenya to close that gap.
Of course, some people may say that German is the official language and people living here should learn German. “Oh, I agree, that's 100% true,” Skilgaard said. “But if someone breaks a bone in their first month from Kenya, shouldn't they be treated until they take an intensive course in German? If Germany wants to be a country that attracts skilled immigrants, I think the translation might be “”. It's not a “nice to have”, it's a “need”. ”
Indeed, as researchers like Mayer often point out, the reality is that Germany is a multilingual society. Many people go through life without speaking much German. During his research at the hospital, Meyer met a 60-year-old Portuguese heart attack patient with little German language skills who had worked in a German slaughterhouse for more than 30 years.
“He basically carried around a pig cut in half all day, and at night he would go to a social club in Portugal and watch soccer,” he said. “He hadn't had much contact with Germans. Why should he? His life was fine. He had no reason to learn German. .”
Skilgaard, a linguist, learned German during her four years here, but she rarely uses it in her work life at the university where she works. “You can say it's bad and it shouldn't be that way, and I totally understand that perspective,” she said. “But that's the situation. So how do you deal with what's happening and not what you want?”
Editor: Lina Goldenberg
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