Topic: Reflect on "cultural competence."
To me, cultural competence is extremely important in my study of Hindi, since I ultimately would like to be involved in global health work in India. Health requires an understanding of cultural competence, since patients and health practitioners may have different cultural attitudes about types of medicine (biomedicine vs. ayurveda or homeopathy) and about being able to talk with others about their health problems. Cultural competence involves having attitudes, beliefs, and practices that help enable successful work in dealing with cross-cultural scenarios. In my medical anthropology class last semester, we spent a great deal of time discussing the importance of cultural competence in a healthcare setting. Imagine being in an entirely foreign culture, in a doctor's office (a different subset of culture by itself!) and having to understand a diagnosis in a foreign language. The experience can be quite intimidating if the doctor doesn't have an understanding of cultural competence. If he/she is familiar with the concept of cultural competence, he/she might able to speak slowly, explain biomedicine as it is different from a different type of cultural medicine, and take the time to explain the diagnosis more thoroughly. In addition, the doctor might avoid certain hand gestures, or they might avoid making assumptions about their culture. When I was applying to volunteer in a healthcare setting last semester, I was required to take a test in cultural competence. I'm not sure if cultural competence can ever be "assessed" though -- I feel that my understanding of different cultures is ever-changing as I meet people of different cultures and travel. However, my test asked questions about eye contact, religion, and more. Understanding these attitudes would definitely be helpful in a healthcare or linguistic setting. Thus, in my study of Hindi, I am also trying to learn more about Indian culture to improve my own cultural competence with regard to India. Even though I am of Indian heritage, there is still so much about the non-verbal aspects of communication in India that I am still learning.
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