title: Cross-cultural communication capabilities of U.S. military trainers: host nation perspective.
abstract: A survey was conducted to assess trainee perception of the cross-cultural communication competency of U.S. military trainers and their satisfaction with the training they received. Findings from the survey show that U.S. military trainers rely significantly on local interpreters. This indicates variability in the ability of the trainers to communicate effectively with host nation partners, the variability being dependent on the capabilities of the individual interpreter. The findings illustrate the importance of providing military health personnel with training on how to work effectively with interpreters. The use of supplementary resources such as electronic translation devises when the interpreter is not capable of conveying health-related training information with the desired level of accuracy is recommended. Expanding the availability of general cultural training, which provides baseline information on local values, traditions, and customs in addition to health-specific cultural orientation, is also recommended to help military health trainers customize their training content and methods to fit the local environment.
authors.affiliation: Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 11300 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
authors.forename: Maysaa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mahmood
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alameri
authors.forename: Shakir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jawad
authors.forename: Yasir
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Alani
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zuerlein
authors.forename: Gregg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Warner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beadling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014175:Translating; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult