This chapter examines the concept of transculturality in healthcare, drawing on the data from three large-scale projects on language and communication in genetic counselling settings in Hong Kong. Transculturality is broadly understood as a dynamic process of negotiation and co-construction of shared meanings by interactants from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Genetic counselling are encounters between genetic professionals and clients at risk of or diagnosed with a genetic disorder, in which information about the genetic condition and testing is discussed. Expanding the concept of culture beyond ethnic or geopolitical boundaries, this chapter discusses real-life examples of genetic counselling interactions where cultural differences concern participants’ socioeconomic and legal backgrounds, cultural food preferences, and marriage. The analysis draws on thematic mapping, discourse analysis, and ethnographic methods to demonstrate how participants co-construct and co-create shared understandings (referred to as “transcultural moments”). These shared understandings enable the participants to achieve the main aims of these encounters, namely, successful information delivery and decision-making about genetic testing and the management of the condition in question. The idea of transculturality is discussed in relation to communication training of pre- and post-qualification healthcare professionals, and the implications of collaborative research between healthcare professionals and linguists in both disciplines.

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Transculturing in Healthcare Settings: The Case of Genetic Counselling in Hong Kong

  • Olga Zayts-Spence

摘要

This chapter examines the concept of transculturality in healthcare, drawing on the data from three large-scale projects on language and communication in genetic counselling settings in Hong Kong. Transculturality is broadly understood as a dynamic process of negotiation and co-construction of shared meanings by interactants from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Genetic counselling are encounters between genetic professionals and clients at risk of or diagnosed with a genetic disorder, in which information about the genetic condition and testing is discussed. Expanding the concept of culture beyond ethnic or geopolitical boundaries, this chapter discusses real-life examples of genetic counselling interactions where cultural differences concern participants’ socioeconomic and legal backgrounds, cultural food preferences, and marriage. The analysis draws on thematic mapping, discourse analysis, and ethnographic methods to demonstrate how participants co-construct and co-create shared understandings (referred to as “transcultural moments”). These shared understandings enable the participants to achieve the main aims of these encounters, namely, successful information delivery and decision-making about genetic testing and the management of the condition in question. The idea of transculturality is discussed in relation to communication training of pre- and post-qualification healthcare professionals, and the implications of collaborative research between healthcare professionals and linguists in both disciplines.