Power relations in ad hoc medical interpreting: the case of the Dos de Mayo National Hospital in Lima, Peru; [Rapports de pouvoir dans l’interprétation médicale ad hoc: le cas de l’Hôpital National Dos de Mayo (Lima, Pérou)]; [Relações de poder na interpretação médica ad hoc: o caso do Hospital Nacional Dos de Mayo em Lima, Peru]

Calixto C.; Gutierrez K. · Lengua y Sociedad (2025) · DOI: 10.15381/lengsoc.v24i2.29547

Resumen

Ad hoc medical interpreting in Peru arose due to the diglossia derived from sociocultural processes since the Spanish viceroyalty (1542-1824). This linguistic situation has not changed since the beginning of the Republic (1824), positioning Spanish as the hegemonic language ahead of native languages. This is evident in the State’s health centers that do not have an interpreting service for native languages. One of them is the Dos de Mayo National Hospital (Lima), run by the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA), where quechua-speakers patients go with their relatives, who enable communication with the medical staff. This study aims to analyze the construction of power relations between the medical staff, patient and family member during ad hoc medical interpreting to understand how situations of discrimination against a specific group occur. For this purpose, the data collection methods used were direct non-participant observation and voice recordings. As a result, power relations in ad hoc medical interpreting, as well as the position and ad hoc interpreter image, are determined according to the rules of the linguistic field and market in which they find themselves through elements of verbal and nonverbal language. © Los autores.

Instituciones: Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas