Video remote interpreting in clinical communication: A multimodal analysis

• Published in: Patient education and counseling 2021-12, Vol.104 (12), p.2867-2876
• Main Authors: Klammer, Martina, Pöchhacker, Franz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: COVID-19; Gaze; Gestures; Humans; Language barriers; Language-discordant consultations; Multimodal analysis; Pandemics; Professional interpreter; Remote Consultation; SARS-CoV-2; Translating; Triadic interaction; Video remote interpreting (VRI)
• ISSN: 0738-3991; 1873-5134
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2021.08.024

Investigating how the spatial and audiovisual conditions in video remote interpreting (VRI) shape communicative interaction in a language-discordant clinical consultation. We conducted a multimodal analysis of an authentic VRI-mediated consultation with special reference to spatial arrangements, audiovisual conditions, and the healthcare professional’s use of embodied communicative resources (body orientation, eye gaze, gestures). The physician is found to pursue his communicative goals for the consultation by first creating an appropriate spatial and technical environment and then supporting his information-giving and relationship-building actions through the use of nonverbal (embodied) resources like body orientation, gaze and gestures as well as specific turn-management behaviour. VRI allows healthcare professionals to access professional interpreters for language-discordant consultations but requires appropriate technical and spatial arrangements as well as users capable of adapting their communicative behaviour to spatial and audiovisual constraints. Alongside telephone interpreting, VRI is the solution of choice for language-discordant clinical encounters in times of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its use requires appropriate technical and spatial arrangements as well as specific skills on the part of healthcare professionals to cope with inherent audiovisual constraints. •Video remote interpreting both enables and constrains language-discordant clinical consultations.•Video remote interpreting requires the healthcare professional to ensure appropriate technical and spatial arrangements.•Healthcare professionals need to acquire special skills for working with interpreters via video link.