"Language Outside of the Bubble" by MSIH first year blogger Stephanie Stestito


Sunset in Beer-Sheva

Language is something that is really important to me. I spend a lot of time thinking about the words I use, ways I can communicate with people more effectively, and increasingly – the way that language can be a barrier to medical care.

As a person with very little exposure to Hebrew before moving to Beer Sheva (save a few YouTube videos to learn the alphabet), language barriers are something I experience on an everyday basis. This can be amusing, sometimes frustrating, and occasionally it leaves me feeling vulnerable and homesick. While Hebrew classes are built into the curriculum here at MSIH, learning a language takes a significant amount of time and energy. And when you spend most of your day either in lectures full of English speaking classmates, or reading English textbooks, it can be easy to slip into a little English-only bubble. It’s nice and safe and easy to comprehend everything within the bubble. You never want to leave the bubble!

But, leave it you must! If you want to discover the amazing community around you, and have productive conversations with many of the people you’ll meet, you need to put yourself out there and try. Even when you’re absolutely sure you’ll sound ridiculous. Even when you make mistakes and use the wrong verb tense and can never remember the word for ‘tomorrow’ (it’s mahar).

And, keep in mind that while learning Hebrew is a noble goal, and I think will enrich the experiences that I have here in Beer Sheva, it will only get you so far. Israel is a diverse country, and many patients at Soroka, the hospital where MSIH students train in our third year, don’t speak Hebrew or English. But that’s part of the reason I came here in the first place. Learning how to communicate effectively with patients with whom I don’t share a common language, is something that I think will be an extremely important skill in my future career.

The world is an increasingly globalized place, and no matter where you are practicing medicine, the chances are that at some point, you will treat a patient who doesn’t speak the same language or languages that you do. How will you handle that? What will you say, who will you look at when you say it? What if there aren’t any translators around? What if the only translators available are family members of the patient, and you need to ask personal questions?

Being around other people who think about these dilemmas, and want to solve them, is one of the biggest reasons I’m glad to be here at MSIH. Not only are my classmates and I delving into immunology, microbiology, and biochemistry (among others!), we are also tackling issues of global health. Tonight, I listened to my amazing friends present topics such as barriers to breastfeeding in Bolivia, the integration of naturopathy and allopathy (and possible implications) and the barriers to care for rural American patients.

One last thought about language – celebrate the small goals! When you manage to have a conversation, no matter how brief, or when you recall a phrase you were sure would never stick in your brain. Rejoice, pat yourself on the back, and keep practicing!

And with that, I bid you lila tov (good night). Until next time,

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