Dose of understanding: Effective communication in medication consumption in southern Chile

Abstract

The central aim of this study is to examine both written and oral linguistic-cultural mediation processes within the context of migration dynamics. La Araucanía, a region in southern Chile characterized by its notable interethnicity and interculturality, has seen the arrival of different migrant populations over the last ten years. Focusing on the French Creole-speaking Haitian population, this article presents the results of two research projects centered on a common theme: the use and consumption of medications. The first project involved ethnographic work on the relationships established between the staff and Haitian users in the pharmacy unit of a public health center in the city of Temuco. Subsequently, the medical leaflets that accompany all medicines when they are purchased in private pharmacies were analyzed linguistically and socioculturally. These two studies allow us to answer the fundamental question that justifies this work: how can language recognize or undermine people in societies that are increasingly pluralistic in social and cultural terms? The main conclusion reached is that, although oral communication facilitated by bicultural mediators resolves communication problems between culturally and linguistically diverse actors, it is self-defeating and unfeasible in economic and personnel terms. For this reason, we propose what we call accessible and public writing to promote fairer and more humanizing inter-societal and intercultural relations.