International Mother Language Day - with Dr. Teah Mogae
Dr. Teah Mogae runs a project called Losika Writes. This project aims to increase the availability of afro-linguistically diverse preschool literature, so she seemed like the perfect GP to reach out to on International Mother Language Day. Below is her piece on Setswana medicine.
To celebrate my native tongue this upcoming International Mother Language Day, I thought I would shine a spotlight into Setswana and medicine.
Setswana is a language spoken in Botswana, Southern Africa. It is also one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. It is a very descriptive language, which can make practicing medicine there a bit challenging. Thankfully, the majority of people have been educated over the years and are able to speak and understand English - although it is still fun to look at some simple medical translations, and the difficulties of practicing medicine in a different language from the one you learned.
Try using Setswana to explain to a patient that their productive cough is a result of a chest infection caused by a virus, or that they have cholecystitis! One must be very descriptive, and explain each word independently in a roundabout way in order to ensure patient understanding of their condition or proposed treatment. Decision-making aids and pictures would also aid in imparting medical information because Setswana doesn’t have many direct medical words.