Access to healthcare in Ghana is hampered by many challenges including language barriers.
English is the country’s official language and is the language of training for medical personnel. However, Ghana is a highly multilingual country with over 80 languages in use and nearly one-third of citizens have Limited English Proficiency (LEP). In addition, some Francophones with LEP from the sub-region also cross the border to seek healthcare in Ghana. Consequently, language becomes an obstacle to medical staff who do not have a shared common language with their patients. This challenge is compounded by the fact that the healthcare sector lacks a guiding policy to promote the use of medical interpreters who would serve as language intermediaries. Our research involved interviews of about 60 health personnel and 10 end users of 3 border town healthcare facilities and one referral centre in Ghana to identify some of these practices and interrogate their effectiveness.
Pamela Amoah is an Assistant Lecturer at the Department of French who has a B.A. in Translation and an M.A. in Conference Interpreting, both from the premier University of Ghana. She has practised as a Translator for almost a decade and has worked as a Conference Interpreter for institutions such as ECOWAS, the WHO, and the Institute of African Studies, Legon. Her research interests include interpreting pedagogy and community interpreting. In her spare time, she enjoys music, theatre, reading, and writing.