“¿Habla
español?” (Do you speak Spanish?). I hear this phrase daily at the clinic, as
our Hispanic population of patients is rapidly increasing. “Hablo un poquito de español” (I
speak a little Spanish) is my usual response.
Upon my arrival in Savannah, I had to quickly refine my Spanish-speaking
skills, in order to meet the needs of this growing population. While I studied Spanish in school, I’ve realized
that conversing with classmates or a professor doesn’t quite compare to
speaking a secondary language in the clinical setting. A lesson I’ve learned through my encounters
at Good Samaritan Clinic is this- the best way to learn a language is to simply
become immersed in the culture.
Some days when there isn’t an available interpreter, I am
the primary person who speaks with these patients. In the beginning days at the clinic, I would
feel nervous when I heard someone call me over to speak Spanish. I quickly realized that this is truly a
blessing in disguise because it is during these times that I am challenged to
use my Spanish to serve others. I become
a source of communication for these individuals and therefore assist them in
their desire to seek medical care. I
push aside my fears and make my best attempt to converse with these patients;
sometimes I am fairly successful, while other times it proves to be a little
more difficult. If I am struggling to articulate
a certain word or phrase, I take a step back and try to rephrase it. Whether I am on the phone or speaking Spanish
in person, I want to make sure that I help these patients to the best of my
ability. Most of the patients are appreciative
of my attempts to speak Spanish. Of
course, there are times I find myself feeling rather exasperated or I’ll
realize that a patient seems frustrated with me; I’ve learned to make the best
of these situations when they occur, as they simply encourage me to work even
harder.
When I respond that I speak a little Spanish, some of the patients
will share with me that they speak a little English. In these moments, it allows me to see that
despite our cultural differences, we are fairly similar. We have a mutual understanding of how it
feels to struggle with expressing our thoughts in a language different from our
own and we strive to communicate with each other as effectively as possible. At this point, patients recognize me from
previous encounters and recall that I can speak Spanish. When they walk into the clinic, they often
initiate conversations with me. I cannot
describe how truly heartwarming it is to realize that these patients have accepted
me as a person they can communicate with at Good Samaritan Clinic. My Spanish has greatly improved over these
past few months, but I must acknowledge that there is always room for
improvement.
I look forward to the day when my response to the question
“Do you speak Spanish?” changes to “Yes, I do speak Spanish” because I know
with additional practice I can increase my fluency of this language; thereby
continuing to address the needs of our patients who face the challenges of
language barriers every day.
Kim Esposito - Good Samaritan Clinic - Savannah, GA
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