Emotions
Dialogue between Doctor and patient.
A woman of Asian appearance from a high context culture is sitting in the examination room. She is alone. Her knowledge of English is limited. The doctor, who comes from a culture in the Western hemisphere with a predominance for lower context communication, enters the room.
German (Deutsch) |
English |
|
| Doctor: | Guten Tag. [kein Handschlag] | [enters the examination room] Hello. [no handshake] |
| Woman: | [lächelnd] Hallo. | [smiling] Hello. |
| Doctor: | Was kann ich für Sie tun? | What can I do for you? |
| Woman: | Ich bin die Treppen hinunter gefallen. Mein Knie tut mir ein bisschen weh. | I fell down the stairs. My knee is aching a bit. |
| Doctor: | Können Sie gehen? Können Sie ihr Knie beugen oder drehen? | Can you walk? Can you bend or turn your knee? |
| Woman: | [lächelnd] Ja, ja. | [smiling] Yes, yes. |
| Doctor: | Gut. Können Sie Ihr Bein anheben? Ok. Danke. Können Sie Ihr Knie beugen? | Fine. Can you lift up your leg? OK. Thank you. Can you bend your knee? |
| Woman: | Ja… [macht nichts] | Yes… [does not do anything] |
| Doctor: | [merkt, dass die Patientin nicht wie erwartet reagiert] Gut, danke. Dann werde ich sehen, ob ich Ihr Knie bewegen und beugen kann. Bitte legen Sie dazu Ihre Hose ab. Die Socken können Sie anlassen. Ich gebe Ihnen noch ein Papierhandtuch zum Umlegen, damit Sie nicht frieren müssen. [er benutzt Gesten zum besseren Verständnis] | [notices that the patient does not react as he expected] Fine, thank you. Then I will need to see if I can bend and twist your knee. But first you will have to take off your trousers. You can leave your socks on. I will give you a paper towel to cover yourself with so you won’t get cold. [he uses gestures to make his meaning clear] |
| Woman: | [lacht verschämt und nickt] Ja, Dankeschön. | [smiles, slightly giggling, nodding] Yes, thank you. |
| Doctor: | [untersucht das Knie und bewegt es] Das Knie ist etwas geschwollen und ein bisschen steif. Eventuell müssen wir es operieren. | [examines the knee and moves it] The knee is a bit swollen, a bit stiff, we may need to operate. |
| Woman: | [mit einem breiten Grinsen, fast lachend] Oh ja, operieren! | [with a big smile, almost laughing] Oh, yes, operation! |
| Doctor: | Ja, es tut mir leid. Sie müssen starke Schmerzen haben. Ich kann verstehen, dass Sie sich Sorgen machen. Doch Dr. Müller ist wirklich ein guter Arzt. Er wird Ihnen helfen und die weitere Behandlung planen, nachdem er Sie untersucht hat. Ich werde Ihn sofort rufen. Ist das okay? | Yes, I am sorry, but you seem to be in acute pain. I can understand that you are worried. But Dr. Müller is a very good doctor. He will help you and he will decide, when he has seen you, what treatment you need. I will call him straight away. Is that ok? |
| Woman: | Ja, vielen Dank. | Yes, thank you. |
Intercultural comment
In Asian cultures it is very important to keep ‘Face’. The concept of ‘Face’ means that people act in ways which help them to maintain not only their own self-respect and honour but also that of the other party. A misunderstood question can cause a loss of ‘Face’ to both parties. The person who answers loses “Face” because they have misunderstood the question. And as the misunderstanding is not their fault alone, because the question could have been put in another way, the other party also loses “Face”. The patient in the example above avoids showing that she does not understand the doctor. She does this verbally by always saying ‘Yes’ and non-verbally by ‘hiding’ behind a smile.
Smiling and laughing can have different meanings in Asian cultures. Of course they can indicate happiness or pleasure, but they can also express a variety of negative emotions. Giggling can be a sign for shame (as in the example, (True/False exercise 1) or unease. Laughing can hide fear or other strong emotions such as sadness or sorrow. In the example, the doctor is right to interpret the patient’s big smile as a sign of fear and reacts accordingly, reassuring her. As people from some Asian cultures do not tend to express their emotions, the doctor is right to show that he has understood the patient’s emotional state by putting it into words for her.
The sense of shame is a powerful element in many Asian cultures. Asian people do not like to expose their bodies. The doctor in the dialogue is right to give the patient a paper towel.