Chinese Medical Interpreting in Italy: Settings and Linguistic Complexities

This chapter provides an analysis of two healthcare interpretation scenarios: lectures on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and doctor-patient interactions within Italian healthcare facilities. The first part introduces some background knowledge playing a main role in preventing misinterpretation, and shading light on ambiguities and hidden meanings that can occur in medical interpreting. This part introduces key concepts and terminology related to TCM and popular health practices, common both in China and abroad. The second part addresses the practical problems that a professional interpreter may encounter in healthcare facilities. In the first part we analyze online lectures on TCM, treating them with a didactic purpose; in the second part, we look into recordings of mediated doctor-patient dialogues collected in an Italian clinic. Analysis of the doctor-patient data in this chapter indicates that the interpreter, rather than being inconspicuous, assumes an active role not only in conveying verbatim translation, but also in transmitting therapeutic information, and in shaping the doctor-patient relationship itself. What we intend to emphasize here is the significance, within the realm of dialogic translation, of considering both the linguistic features and the cultural background of the individuals involved.