Refer to the various factors, circumstances, or obstacles that hinder effective and meaningful communication between individuals or groups. These barriers may be linguistic, cultural, psychological, or physical, and can impede the exchange of information, ideas, and emotions.
Published in Chapter:
Navigating Borders: Communication and Language Experiences of African Migrants in South African Public Health Facilities
Ignatius Khan Ticha (Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa)
Copyright: © 2024
|Pages: 14
DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-0624-6.ch015
Abstract
This chapter examines the communication and language experiences of African migrants in Cape Town public health facilities in South Africa, exploring strategies they employ to navigate language and communication challenges they may encounter in the healthcare system. About 2.9 million migrants, predominantly Africans, live in South Africa, and their movement to South Africa has brought linguistic diversity and linguistic and cultural complexity, creating unique communication dynamics in healthcare settings. This mainly qualitative research draws on the responses of African migrants from various African countries purposively selected and surveyed to explore their lived experiences and perspectives. The study explores how African migrants experienced language use and communication, considering differences between migrant experiences in South African health institutions and their home countries and offering recommendations to improve communication in health facilities and, consequently, enhance the experiences of African migrants in South African health institutions.