Kerre Woodham: Can you blame someone for speaking their own tongue in a bit of downtime?

I remember about 25 years ago there was an absolute hoo-ha at the Grey Lynn Countdown, because staff there were speaking to one another in their own tongue in the common staff room. And there was a complaint from somebody who spoke English —that was the language they spoke, and they didn't speak any other languages— and they took great offence to people speaking in their mother tongue in the staff room. They said it made them feel uneasy, they didn't know what they were talking about, and you can imagine the brouhaha resulted - who was right? Who was wrong?  

Now, so many years later, a memo has been sent around Waikato Hospital asking nurses to speak English only when they're on the wards. Concerns have been raised about other languages being used by nurses and the exclusive use of English in all clinical settings is safer for treating people, according to the memo. And I quote, “each nurse is required by Nursing Council New Zealand to achieve competency both in the written and spoken language of English. Consistent use of one language reduces the possibility of missed care, misunderstanding of clinical requirements and enhances safe teamwork.”  

And I totally get that. I totally understand that where there are issues of clinical safety clear communication is utterly vital. There must be an unequivocal understanding between medical staff and patients around the treatment of patients. But when you're chatting to one another or to patients who might share your background and share your language, I really don't see where the problem is.  

It's a real lesson in humility, as many of you will know, to go to a country where English is not the lingua franca. Especially when words are your thing, where your way of expressing yourself, where your way of participating in the world is through language. All of a sudden you go to a place where there's another language spoken, you don't speak it, and you are reduced to a basic, basic level of conversation. Despite your very best efforts to learn a few words before you go, quite different when you get there, and you are reduced to absolutely fundamental basic communication. You can't explain yourself; you can't expound on your ideas; you can’t express nuance. It's incredibly frustrating and very, very good for your humility. And gives you, I think a deeper understanding of what it must be like to come to New Zealand, to set up your home here, to set up your life here, to work here and to have English as a second language.  

More credit to the people who do pass their English proficiency when they've come from somewhere else. Blimmin’ sure I wouldn't be able to pass my Mandarin proficiency or my Hindi. You know so much more than what you're communicating, and yet all the person hears on the other end is a basic one-dimensional other. So any chance you get to be you, to be all of the you rather than the basic you, I can understand why people would take that. Again, at no point should clinical safety be compromised. At no point should a patient's treatment be in any way misinterpreted because there is a lack of understanding, but if you have the time to talk to somebody in their own language, in their first language, wouldn't you take it?  

I mean, anybody who's lived overseas must know what that is like and the relief when you when you start to build upon the basic structural foundation of the language you're learning, to be able to offer more of yourself through words is immense. So to people have chosen to make their life in this country who have learned English at school, quite different to using it in day-to-day life, more credit to you. Where clinical safety is paramount, English must be spoken, but if you've got a bit of downtime, can you possibly blame somebody for wanting to be all that they can be through the expression of their own language? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerry Wooden Morning's podcast from News
Talk sad B.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I remember about twenty five years ago there was an
absolute hooha at the Grayland Countdown because staff there and
it was like a Babylonian suburb, the Grayland Countdown, with
people from all different countries who spoke so many different languages,

(00:34):
were speaking to one another in their own tongue in
the common staff room. And there was a complaint from
somebody who spoke English. That was the language they spoke
and they didn't speak any other languages, and they took
great offense to people speaking in their mother tongue in

(00:55):
the staff room. They said it made them feel uneasy,
they didn't know what they were talking about, and as
you can imagine, the blue haha resulted. Who was right
who was wrong? Now, so many years later, a memo
has been sent around Wakato Hospital asking nurses to speak
English only when they're on the wards. Concerns have been

(01:19):
raised about other languages being used by nurses, and the
exclusive use of English in all clinical settings is safer
for treating people. According to the memo and I quote,
each nurse is required by Nursing Council New Zealand to
achieve competency both in the written and spoken language of English.
Consistent use of one language reduces the possibility of mistcare,

(01:44):
misunderstanding of clinical requirements, and enhances safe teamwork. And I
totally get that. I totally understand that where there are
issues of clinical safety, clear communication is utterly vital. There
must be an unequivocal understanding between medical staff and patients
around the treatment of patients. But when you're chatting to

(02:08):
one another or to patients who might share your background
and share your language, I really don't see where the
problem is. It's a real lesson in humility, as many
of you will know, to go to a country where
English is not the lingua franca, especially when words are
your thing, where your way of expressing yourself, where your

(02:33):
way of participating in the world is through language. All
of a sudden, you go to a place where there's
another language spoken, you don't speak it, and you are
reduced to a basic, basic level of conversation, despite your
very best efforts to learn a few words before you go.

(02:53):
Quite different when you get there and you are reduced
to absolutely fundamental basic communication. You can't explain yourself. You
can't expound on your ideas, you can't express nuance. It's
incredibly frustrating and very very good for your humility and

(03:16):
gives you, I think, a deeper understanding of what it
must be like to come to New Zealand, to set
up your home here, to set up your life here,
to work here, and to have English as a second language.
More credit to the people who do, who do pass
their English proficiency when they've come from somewhere else. Well,

(03:36):
IM make sure I wouldn't be able to pass my
Mandarin proficiency or my Hindi. You know so much more
than what you're communicating, and yet all the person here
is on the other end is a basic, one dimensional other.
So any chance you get to be you, to be
all of the you rather than the basic you, I

(04:00):
can understand why people would take that. Again, at no
point should clinical safety be compromised, at no point should
a patient's treatment be in any way misinterpreted because there
is a lack of understanding. But if you have the

(04:23):
time to talk to somebody in their own language, in
their first language, wouldn't you take it? I mean, anybody
who's lived overseas must know what that is like, and
The relief when you start to build upon the basic
structural foundation of the language you're learning to be able

(04:45):
to offer more of yourself through words is immense. So
two people have chosen to make their life in this
country who have learned English at school quite different to
using it in day to day life. More credit to you.

(05:07):
Where clinical safety is paramount. English must be spoken, but
if you've got a bit of downtime, can you possibly
blame somebody for wanting to be all that they can
be through the expression of their own language.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
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