BABELIRIS: linguistic competencies and intercultural dynamics in Brussels hospitals; the impact of oral communication on social inequality in health care.

Social inequality in health care in Brussels is often related to the linguistic competencies of patients and caretakers. For patients with limited or non-existent competencies in French, Dutch or English, access to qualitative health care is often restricted. The aim of this project is to investigate how oral communication with speakers of different languages can be improved. Particularly the use of specialised medical language and terminology and the comprehension in caretaker-patient communication are studied. Social inequality as a consequence of unadapted communicative practices is obseved, described and analysed. Many inhabitants of the Brussels region have low competencies in the official languages of the region.Consequences of this fact are felt in the quality of health care.