Prácticas de mediación e ideologías lingüísticas en salud: experiencias de gestión de la diversidad lingüística en un hospital de la ciudad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Abstract

This paper is part of research project which follows the general objective of understanding how multilingualism is managed in a hospital in Buenos Aires (Argentina). In this sense, we focused on a case study involving a linguistic mediation program that has been operational within the hospital since 2000. Based on the analysis of interviews, institutional documents, and advertising materials, we wondered about how different actors engage, assess, and make language-related decisions within this institutional framework. Thus, we follow two main purposes: on the one hand, we aimed to understand the conceptions around "mediation" and to explore how these are linked to the mediating practices conducted in the hospital. On the other hand, we aimed to understand the mechanisms employed for evaluating the effectiveness of the program, which involved the participation of different actors, both from within the institution and from external organizations. Our findings provide evidence of the diverse perspectives and tensions that underlie linguistic decision-making in this institution, illustrating the concrete effects in the health care setting, especially when institutional actions are disconnected from the needs and sociolinguistic reality of the groups they are intended to assist.