The (Un)imagined Work of Linguistic Inclusion
From Language on the Move by New Books Network
April 21, 2026 · 41 min
About this episode
The episode discusses linguistic inclusion in healthcare, focusing on language policies and the assessment of patients' English proficiency.
In this episode of the Language on the Move Podcast, Emily Pacheco speaks with PhD candidate Brynn Quick (Macquarie University, Australia) about her 2025 paper, The (un)imagined work of determining patients’ English language proficiency. The conversation focuses on language policies in healthcare, the monolingual logic, and language access. Quick, B., Piller, I., & Lising, L. (2025). The (un)imagined work of determining patients’ English language proficiency. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2025.2594462 Abstract. This study investigates how Australian healthcare policies imagine communication between limited English proficiency (LEP) patients and healthcare providers to occur. This is done through a work as imagined (WAI) vs. work as done (WAD) analysis of 13 Australian medical policies from four levels of governance. Findings reveal that policies mostly conceptualise the work of determining if a patient needs a professional interpreter as an act of self-assessment that patients will do themselves. When policies direct healthcare staff to assess patients’ English language proficiency, they often instruct staff to…
People in this episode
Host: Emily Pacheco
Guest: Brynn Quick
Topics covered
- linguistic inclusion
- language policies
- healthcare communication
- English language proficiency
- monolingual logic
- language access
Keywords
- linguistic inclusion
- healthcare policies
- English proficiency
- language access
- monolingualism
- LEP patients
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Macquarie University, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
Books & works: The (un)imagined work of determining patients’ English language proficiency
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