Работа посвящена выявлению влияния уровня владения иностранным языком и уровня языковой тревожности на преодоление языкового барьера. Объектом исследования является языковой барьер, предметом – установление корреляции между уровнем владения иностранным языком, языковой тревожностью и преодолением языкового барьера. Цель диссертационного исследования состоит в теоретическом и экспериментальном выявлении закономерностей влияния уровня владения иностранным языком и языковой тревожности на способность преодоления языкового барьера у студентов первого курса департамента лингвистики УрФУ через обращение к индивиду, т. е. в условиях психолингвистического эксперимента. Материалом для исследования послужили данные психолингвистического эксперимента, в котором приняли участие 30 обучающихся профильного языкового департамента Уральского федерального университета. Анализ результатов исследования показал прямую взаимосвязь между уровнем владения иностранным языком и языковой тревожностью среди студентов первого курса департамента лингвистики УрФУ. А именно, чем ниже уровень владения иностранным языком, тем выше уровень языковой тревожности. Помимо этого, в рамках проведенного эксперимента удалось доказать, что группа, обладающая более высокими навыками владения иностранным языком, более способна к преодолению языкового барьера. / The study investigates the influence of foreign language proficiency and language anxiety on overcoming the language barrier. The object of the research is the language barrier. The subject of the study is the establishment of a correlation between foreign language proficiency, language anxiety, and overcoming the language barrier. The objective of the research is to theoretically and experimentally identify the patterns of influence of foreign language proficiency and language anxiety on the ability to overcome the language barrier among first-year students of the Linguistics Department at Ural Federal University by addressing the individual, that is, in the context of a psycholinguistic experiment. The research material consists of the data derived from a psycholinguistic experiment involving 30 students from the language department at Ural Federal University. The analysis of the research findings shows a direct correlation between foreign language proficiency and language anxiety among first-year students of the Linguistics Department at Ural Federal University. Specifically, the lower the level of foreign language proficiency, the higher the level of language anxiety. Additionally, the experiment demonstrates that the group with higher foreign language proficiency is more capable of overcoming the language barrier.

Bakgrund:Ambulanssjukvård är ett område som blir allt mer avancerat. Prehospital akutsjukvård karakteriseras av snabb bedömning, beslutsfattande och utvärdering i både säkra och osäkra miljöer. Ett korrekt omhändertagandeav patientenförutsätter en fungerande kommunikation. Risken ökar annars för missförstånd, minskad patientsäkerhet, vårdskadorochökat lidande. Språkbarriär är ett merstuderat fenomen inom intrahospital vård men forskningen kring fenomenet inom ambulanssjukvårdenärytterst sparsmakad.Syfte: Syftet var att utforska ambulanspersonalens uppfattningar av språkbarriär i mötet med patienten.Metod: Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ, induktiv ansats. Data inhämtades genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med 18 deltagare med olika professionell bakgrund, erfarenheter, kön och åldrar. Fenomenografisk metod användes i analys av de transkriberade intervjuerna.Resultat: De variationer av uppfattningar som författarna identifierat fördelades i fyrabeskrivningskategorier.Ett positivt synsätt, Inverkan på patientmötet,Strategier för att överbrygga språkliga hinderoch En del av ett komplext förhållande.Slutsatser:Studien belyser att ett samband mellan språkbarriär och försämrad vård finns. Bristfällig kommunikation innebär att patienten riskerar att inte få lika vård på lika villkor. Ambulanspersonal agerar pragmatiskt och lösningsorienterat, i tidskritiska situationer, för att tillvarata patientens intressen och leverera säker vård. Tillgängliga hjälpmedel uppfattas varaotillfredsställande och behöver ses över. / Background: Ambulance care is a field which is becoming more and more advanced. Prehospital emergency care is characterized by quick assessments, decision making and evaluation in safe as well as unsafe environments. Correct management of the patient demands a functioning communication. Otherwise there is an increased risk of misunderstandings, diminished patient safety, adverse events and increased suffering. Language barriers have been studied extensively within intra-hospital care but research regarding the phenomenon in the ambulance care setting is utterly sparse.Aim: The aim of this studywas to explore the ambulance personnel’s perceptions of language barrier in the encounter with the patient.Methods: The study was conducted using a qualitative, inductive approach. Data was collected through semi structured interviews with 18 participants from different professions, of varying experience, sex and age. Phenomenographic method was used when analysing the transcribed interviews. Results:The variations of perceptions that the authors have identified were distributed in four categories of description: A positive outlook, Effects on the encounter, Strategies to overcome language barriersand Part of a complex relationship.Conclusions:This study highlights the presence of a relationship between language barrier and insufficient care. When communication is unsatisfactory the patient runs the risk of not receiving equal careon equal terms. Ambulance personnel’s actions are pragmatic and solution orientedin time critical situations in order to secure the patient’s interests and deliver safe care.Available tools are perceivedas inadequate and need to be re-evaluated.

<p>Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable descriptive analysis of tourists&rsquo / languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers&rsquo / language rather than tourism service providers speaking tourists&rsquo / languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the tourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists&rsquo / native languages. Multilingualism should be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer&rsquo / s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may affect other tourism sectors&rsquo / performance.</p>

<p>Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to&nbsp / sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations&nbsp / and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select&nbsp / both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as&nbsp / analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable&nbsp / descriptive analysis of tourists&rsquo / languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of&nbsp / all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using&nbsp / English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed&nbsp / temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants&nbsp / sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the&nbsp / majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a&nbsp / quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists&nbsp / struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of&nbsp / all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers&rsquo / language rather than tourism&nbsp / service providers speaking tourists&rsquo / languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means&nbsp / that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the&nbsp / ourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists&rsquo / native languages. Multilingualism should&nbsp / be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer&rsquo / s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may&nbsp / affect other tourism sectors&rsquo / performance.</p>

Syftet med denna studie är att utforma ett förslag på hur ett informationsmaterial om tvättstugan kan utformas så att även invandrade med begränsade eller inga färdigheter i svenska språket kan läsa och förstå. Studien avser även söka svar på huruvida ett sådant informationsmaterial kan påverka negativa beteenden associerade med användning av gemensamma tvättstugor, och till vilken grad. Detta eftersom informationsmaterialet är menat att bidra till att förebygga felanvändning av utrustning, samt bristande hänsyn till regler i tvättstugan. Den empiriska grunden utgörs primärt av problemsökande intervjuer genomförda med både boende och anställda hos Kommunfastigheter i Eskilstuna. Intervjuerna visar att det förekommer många olika problem i de gemensamma tvättstugorna, samt att det finns tecken på att det kan behövas ett bättre anpassat informationsmaterial. Resultatet visar att ett informationsmaterial om hur man använder tvättstugan inte kan förväntas påverka negativa beteenden i någon stor utsträckning och bör därför kombineras med andra åtgärder för att uppnå en nivå av påverkan som kan leda till beteendeförändring. / The purpose of this study is to develop a proposal for how information about the laundry room can be designed so that even immigrants with limited or no skills in the Swedish language can read and understand. The study will also seek answers to whether such information can affect the negative behaviors associated with the use of common laundry rooms, and to what degree. This is because the information material is meant to help prevent misuse of the equipment, and lack of consideration for the rules in the laundry. The empirical basis consists primarily of problem seeking interviews conducted with both residents and employees of Kommunfastigheter in Eskilstuna. The interviews show that there are many problems in the common laundry rooms, and there are signs that there may be a need for more appropriate information. The results show that information about how to use the laundry room cannot be expected to affect the negative behaviors to any large extent, and should therefore be combined with other measures in order to achieve a level of influence that can lead to behavioral change.

<p>Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable descriptive analysis of tourists&rsquo / languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers&rsquo / language rather than tourism service providers speaking tourists&rsquo / languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the tourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists&rsquo / native languages. Multilingualism should be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer&rsquo / s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may affect other tourism sectors&rsquo / performance.</p>

<p>Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to&nbsp / sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations&nbsp / and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select&nbsp / both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as&nbsp / analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable&nbsp / descriptive analysis of tourists&rsquo / languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of&nbsp / all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using&nbsp / English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed&nbsp / temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants&nbsp / sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the&nbsp / majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a&nbsp / quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists&nbsp / struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of&nbsp / all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers&rsquo / language rather than tourism&nbsp / service providers speaking tourists&rsquo / languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means&nbsp / that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the&nbsp / ourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists&rsquo / native languages. Multilingualism should&nbsp / be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer&rsquo / s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may&nbsp / affect other tourism sectors&rsquo / performance.</p>

Diploma thesis responds to the current topic of education of pupils-foreigners at the Czech primary schools. It mainly focuses on the problem of pupils-foreigners' integration into regular learning process and identification of effective ways of learning support in teaching of these pupils. The theoretical part summarizes knowledge related to the mentioned problems. Emphasis is placed on defining the main communication barrier in pupils-foreigners' learning. Further are presented methodological recommendations and inspiration available from expert literature, which relate to the pupils-foreigners' inclusion into regular lessons. The practical part is aimed at helping teachers-beginners. It is based on qualitative research constisting of research methods of interview, expert questionnaire and reflective analysis of its own experience. Therefore, it brings and evaluates the way in which the communication between teachers and pupils-foreigners takes place in the common practice of several Prague's primary schools. The outcomes include examples of good teaching experience, methodological strategies and other recommendations that help pupils-foreigners to overcome the communication barrier.

Magister Artium - MA / Language diversity continues to create a language barrier to international tourism. Tourists from non-English speaking countries face a language barrier in South Africa and this affects their experiences in the country. Measuring and understanding something of this challenge is the purpose of this study. The focus is on how the tourism industry in Cape Town uses languages to sell and promote the city internationally. The study investigates procedures, strategies, and policies adopted by the tourism industry in Cape Town to cater for tourists from across the world. In addition, the study also investigates how tourists from non-English speaking countries adapt linguistically to cope with their stay in Cape Town. The study targeted both tourism organisations and international tourists who use tourist facilities in most popular tourist areas in Cape Town. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Convenience sampling was used to select both tourism service providers and tourists. To enhance validity, reliability, and accuracy, various tools have been deployed to collect the data. Primary data were collected from both tourism service providers and international tourists using questionnaires, interviews, photographs and observations. Secondary data collection involved observations of public signage as well as analysis of electronic and printed promotional materials such as brochures, guidebooks, menus, newspapers and websites. Collected data were captured in spread sheets to enable descriptive analysis of tourists’ languages and of language use in tourism organisations in different of forms of niche tourism in Cape Town. Survey results reveal that a little more than half of all surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town sell and promote their products using only South African languages including English whilst a minority sell and promote their products using English coupled with foreign languages. The majority of multilingual staff in those surveyed tourism organisations who have adopted multilingualism are working part-time or employed temporarily. In addition, results also indicate that English dominates other languages in public signs and printed and electronic promotional publications used by surveyed tourism organisations in Cape Town. Foreign languages are used most in tour operations and travel agencies sector whilst South African languages dominate in accommodation and restaurants sectors. On the other hand the research shows that a big proportion of foreign tourists in Cape Town were able to speak English and other foreign languages. The research shows that the majority of tourists from non-English speaking countries are more interested in learning foreign languages compared with their counterparts from English speaking countries. Only less than a quarter of all surveyed tourists from non-English speaking countries in Cape Town are monolingual in their home languages. These tourists struggle to communicate with service providers in Cape Town. Translators and gestures were used by non-English speaking tourists as a way of breaking down communication barriers in Cape Town. Contrarily, a big proportion (two thirds) of all surveyed tourists from English speaking countries in Cape Town does speak only English. Foreign tourists in Cape Town speak tourism service providers’ language rather than tourism service providers speaking tourists’ languages. The majority of tourism service providers in Cape Town are reluctant to learn foreign languages and to employ multilingual staff. This means that most tourism organisations sell and market their product in English only. Other South African languages such as Afrikaans and Xhosa are used frequently in informal communication in the ourism industry in Cape Town. Seemingly, Afrikaans dominates Xhosa in all forms of tourism except in township tourism where the majority of service providers are Xhosa-speakers. To market and promote Cape Town internationally, the tourism industry in Cape Town should employ multilingual staff who can communicate in tourists’ native languages. Multilingualism should be practised in all tourism sectors rather than in one or few sectors because all tourism sectors compliment each other in meeting customer’s satisfaction. Failure in one tourism sector may affect other tourism sectors’ performance. / South Africa

Bakgrund: Kommunikation är utbyte av betydelsefull information mellan individer och kan förmedlas via verbalt och icke-verbalt språk. Genom att vårdpersonal skapar en mellanmänsklig relation till patienten uppnås ömsesidig förståelse som är grunden för att bedriva personcentrerad vård. I interkulturell kommunikation kan det däremot vara svårt att nå full förståelse på grund av otillräckliga språkkunskaper och kulturella skillnader. Syfte: Syfte med studien var att beskriva betydelsen av språklig och kulturell förståelse i kommunikationen mellan patient och hälso- och sjukvårdspersonal.  Metod: En allmän litteraturstudie med systematisk ansats baserad på kvalitativa vetenskapliga artiklar genomfördes. Artikelsökningar gjordes i PubMed och Cinahl. Följande sökord användes i sökningar: communication, communication barriers, experience, health care, health personal, immigrant, interpreter, language, migrant, nurse-patient relations. Resultat: Ömsesidig förståelse, språklig och kulturell, är nyckeln för att vårdpersonal ska kunna förstå patienten och bedriva god vård. Resultatet baserades på 15 artiklar och består av tre tema: Kommunikation och relation, Invandrare i vården och Tolkning. Konklusion: Otillräckliga språkkunskaper är ett hinder för invandrare att komma i kontakt med vården, förmedla sina behov och nå full förståelse för given information. För vårdpersonal är språkbarriären ett hinder för att kunna bedriva patientsäker och personcentrerad vård. Båda parter är beroende av en tolk för att uppnå ömsesidig förståelse. / Background: Communication is an exchange of significant information between individuals and can be conveyed through verbal and non-verbal communication. When health personnel establish interpersonal relationships with the patient, mutual understanding will be obtained which is the basis for person-centered care. However, in intercultural communication it can be difficult to achieve full understanding due to insufficient language knowledge and cultural differences. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the importance of linguistic and cultural understanding in communication between patient and health personnel. Method: A literature study with a systematic approach based on qualitative articles was conducted. Article searches were made in PubMed and Cinahl. The following keywords were used in search process: communication, communication barriers, experience, health care, health personnel, immigrant, interpreter, language, migrant, nurse-patient relations. Results: Mutual understanding, linguistic and cultural, is the key for healthcare professionals to understand the patient and provide good care. The result was based on 15 articles and consists of three topics: Communication and relationship, Immigrants in healthcare and Interpreting. Conclusion: Insufficient language knowledge is an obstacle for immigrants to come into contact with healthcare, communicate their needs and gain full understanding of given information. Language barrier is an interference fpr healthcare professionals to be able to deliver patient-safe and person-centered care. Both parties are dependent on an interpreter to achieve mutual understanding.