I recall a moment I witnessed on my healthcare assistant shift. On the ward, there was a woman who did not speak any English and who did not have access to a translator. As a result of the language barrier, nurses, HCAs and other patients ignored her because they could not understand her.

 After the Healthcare assistant finished her observations, the patient ended up kissing her hand express her gratitude and respect. Not only was there a language barrier but a distinct cultural barrier. To the woman, the care she was receiving was incredibly intimate and she mirrors this intimacy with her kiss to the HCA’s hand. However, the moment it happened I realised the member of staff looked quite surprised as this is not common in British society, especially in this context. Despite this, I then saw the HCA recognised the act for what it was, the woman’s only way of saying thank you in a way that did not require any translation.

I decided to do draw an art piece as this shows the physical nature of the act and I believe this preserves the meaning more. This is why the piece is titled ‘Untranslated’, like the kissing of the hand, it doesn’t need to be translated to be understood. Though, it’s also important to recognise that the cultural barrier itself lead to the situation feeling slightly misaligned. I decided to have the patient with her gown open in the back to symbolise her vulnerability. This emphasised the trust held by the patient for healthcare workers which is the basis of the woman’s gratitude. Furthermore, I decided to have the patient as the focal point of the piece to bring the attention to her, unlike her experience on the ward. Despite the hindered communication, the patient found a way to express her gratitude because it was important to her, even though others did not try to communicate with her.

Ultimately, this patient taught me about the barriers in language and culture that exist in Medicine. Furthermore, she taught me what a privilege it is to uphold the trust that patients have in healthcare workers. Conceptually, I understood these ideas. However, seeing this woman on the wards alone, not able to talk to the people caring for her, not able to talk to the patients around her and then still maintaining this immense gratitude, helped me understand in a way I never would have without this experience.

Spending hours on this painting, learning how to express something in a completely different way than I am used to, only developed this further.

Accompanying the HCA allowed me to take a step back and focus on the way healthcare workers interacted with patients on a regular day. This allowed me dissect small moments like this with individual patients and their experiences, carrying messages that will follow me throughout my career.