Orderlies as interpreters in Papua New Guinea.
The medical orderly as a linguistic intermediary is performing the function of interpreter for which he has not been trained. However, it is found that he almost always achieves an adequate equivalence between the source language and the target language. One strength of the system is that the orderly has medical training but this is also a basic weakness since if a more complex situation arises in which the patient wishes to convey information heregards as relevant but the orderly regards as irrelevant, the communication process may break down into a mass of misunderstandings.
D007802:Language; D009512:New Guinea; D010564:Personnel, Hospital