Natural interpreters’ performance in the medical setting

This paper presents a study on the asymmetry of doctor-patient conversations in situations where the patient speaks a foreign language, both alone and with the aid of an occasional interpreter, in order to determine the variations which occur when compared to consultations where the healthcare staff and patient share the same native language. Firstly, a study of the language and different resources that speakers in an institutional context use is presented, and secondly, a study of the role carried out by the third participant who acts as the liaison or interpreter between the other two participants (user and service provider) in the interaction is discussed.