Cultural Humility & Communication Differences

LESSON 01

Start with the individual

Culture can shape communication, but a person is not a checklist of national, religious, or linguistic traits. Two people who share a language may differ in education, family roles, beliefs, dialect, disability, and comfort with an institution. Cultural humility in this lesson means staying curious about what this particular person means and being willing to correct your own assumptions.

The HHS National CLAS framework emphasizes respectful, responsive services that take individual needs and preferences seriously. For an interpreter, this is a useful reason to ask rather than presume. It is not permission to substitute your own cultural explanation for a speaker’s message or to decide what the speaker ought to want.

Sources: HHS Office of Minority Health

LESSON 02

Separate what you notice from what you infer

Notice observable communication: a speaker pauses, asks for repetition, looks toward a relative, or uses an unfamiliar expression. Your interpretation of that behavior is a hypothesis. A pause could reflect thought, uncertainty, distress, an audio problem, or something else. Do not turn it into a diagnosis of motivation or culture.

Use a three-part mental check: What did I actually observe? What am I assuming? What could I clarify transparently? This approach helps prevent a familiar story about a community from overriding the individual in front of you. Bring relevant linguistic uncertainty into the conversation without claiming expertise over someone else’s life.

Sources: HHS Office of Minority Health

LESSON 03

Match language and register respectfully

Confirm the language or dialect needed for the interaction. A broad booking label may not capture the speaker’s preference. If the language match is poor, say so early and ask coordination or site staff to arrange an appropriate solution. Pretending to understand to avoid embarrassment makes participation harder.

Preserve the level of formality, directness, and emotion that carries meaning. Do not make a person sound more educated, less angry, or more agreeable because you think the listener will respond better. If an idiom has no direct equivalent, convey its meaning faithfully and seek clarification when needed. Do not attach an unsourced cultural lesson to every unusual phrase.

Sources: HHS Office of Minority Health · HHS Office of Minority Health

LESSON 04

A shared label does not guarantee access

Communication needs are individual. People who are Deaf or hard of hearing do not all use the same language or communication method. The National Association of the Deaf emphasizes culturally and linguistically appropriate services and specialist skills in relevant settings. Spoken-language bilingualism is not a substitute for signed-language interpreting expertise.

An interpreter may notice that a format is not working without being the person responsible for selecting an accommodation. Describe the obstacle clearly to the service team: the person cannot see the screen, a language match is inadequate, or printed material is not accessible. Keep the person involved in explaining their needs rather than speaking about them as though they are absent.

Sources: National Association of the Deaf

LESSON 05

Help participants check understanding

A nod or “yes” does not reliably show that a complex explanation was understood. In healthcare, AHRQ describes teach-back: the professional asks a person to explain the information in their own words so that the professional can assess how clearly it was explained. The interpreter conveys both the invitation and the response accurately, including any confusion.

Do not coach the person into giving the expected answer. An incomplete response may be exactly the information the professional needs to clarify an instruction. Similarly, if a speaker uses a technical phrase you cannot render accurately, request explanation openly rather than silently replacing it with your best guess.

Sources: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

LESSON 06

Practice: rewrite an assumption

This exercise develops a habit of noticing interpretation before it becomes an unsupported conclusion. Use fictional examples, not identifiable client stories. There may be several respectful ways to phrase a clarification; evaluate whether the person retains ownership of their meaning.

Sources: HHS Office of Minority Health · Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality