NPLD-Coppieters Campus 2023 | Managing languages in the field of Health & Social Cares in Multilingual Communities

28th and 29th September 2023, 8.30-12.45 | Hotel Hanasaari/Hanaholmen, Helsinki (Finland). The “NPLD-Coppieters Campus 2023: Managing languages in the field of Health & Social Care in Multilingual Communities” aims to be a forum for discussion among the public institutions and the civil society of the 22 European linguistic communities represented by the NPLD where different questions will be addressed. The NPLD and Coppieters are organizing this fourth edition in cooperation with Folktinget: The Swedish Assembly of Finland. The full programme will be available soon. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us for any further information.

Communication in multilingual communities -especially where 2 languages or more have official status- can pose certain difficulties when dealing with the health and social services system. The presence of linguistic barriers in available services can have major negative repercussions on the health of patients.

In this particular area, communicating in a way the patient can fully understand as well as understanding and assessing the patient’s needs accurately by the healthcare provider is of vital importance. Speaking a patient’s language can also mean helping their family better understand the diagnosis and available treatment options. Patients and their families often avoid using their first language, the language they are more proficient in because they desire to not be a “burden” and to avoid the stigma of not using the most common language.

How can be ensured that speakers of the languages of a given community, particularly when one of those languages is a regional or a minority language, have access to services in their language?

Without professional language support, patients are less likely to receive the level of care they need, and misunderstandings can have disastrous effects on the effectiveness of the patient’s treatment. What can be done to increase the number of multilingual health providers? Hiring bilingual employees only? Offering second language courses to health professionals? Using interpretation services? The NPLD-Coppieters Campus 2023: Managing languages in the field of Health & Social Care in Multilingual Communities aims to be a forum for discussion among the public institutions and the civil society of the 22 European linguistic communities represented by the NPLD where those and other questions will be addressed.