Let’s chat health in isiXhosa

Let’s chat health in isiXhosa is a free introductory isiXhosa acquisition course custom-designed for medical and health professionals.

The course is sanctioned and offered by the Stellenbosch University Language Centre and its Unit for isiXhosa.

GENERAL INFORMATION

MASINCOKOLE NGEMPILO NGESIXHOSA / Let’s chat health in isiXhosa / Kom ons praat gesondheid in isiXhosa is a nine-week course (two sixty-minute periods a week) offered to University staff in various medical fields.

PREREQUISITE

No prior knowledge of isiXhosa is required, only enthusiasm and a desire to communicate with isiXhosa monolingual patients.

TEACHING METHOD

The Unit for isiXhosa follows a communicative, interactive, task- and needs-orientated methodology based on suggestopaedic language-learning principles, which entails learning in an authentic setting. The method includes verbal tasks at a lower beginner level, group work, and individual and group interaction with the lecturer(s). The communicative approach ensures that isiXhosa skills are acquired in a fun and an exciting way, yet always with a specific application of language and culture in mind.

EVALUATION METHOD

Students are continuously assessed on the basis of course attendance, participation and a basic, informal oral test.

Exciting, professionally designed, job-specific study material is provided on the first day of class attendance. The course manual and DVD are available free of charge to students. Other interested parties can purchase the course manual and DVD from book stores across the country. Although the course material is free of charge to students, language learning will cost them much in time and effort.

AIMS

The primary goals of the course are as follows:

• To partner in manifesting Stellenbosch University’s Pedagogy of Hope philosophy by bringing students and staff in the medical field closer to understanding patients from a different language and culture group
• To sensitise participants to intercultural communication differences in the field of medical treatment and assistance
• To provide participants with the knowledge and skills to interact more effectively with monolingual isiXhosa-speaking patients, semi-bilingual isiXhosa-speaking medical assistants or health workers, and ordinary people from the amaXhosa language and culture group encountered while performing their professional duties
• To assist isiXhosa-speaking medical or health professionals in finding an accurate phrase in English or Afrikaans for a particular isiXhosa phrase or idea.

CONTENT

Classes will focus on the following themes for communication purposes:

• AmaXhosa and isiXhosa: General aspects of the people and their language, with particular emphasis on the medical context
• Greeting protocol in a medical consultation setting
• Making first acquaintance and introducing oneself in a medical consultation setting
• Extracting and recording biographical data about a particular patient
• Putting the patient at ease
• Conversing with diverse patients (e.g. child, male and female) with a general medical/health concern
• Interviewing, instructing and interacting with patients to elicit simple, yet clear responses in order to assist in diagnosing discomfort, illness or disease
• Instructing and questioning patients in such a manner that they react correctly or appropriately to assist in diagnosing discomfort, illness or disease
• Establishing a medical profile/history of past and current illnesses and diseases for a particular patient, as well as for his or her family
• Describing basic parts of the human body in isiXhosa
• Conversing with patients with a dental concern
• Conversing with patients with an ophthalmological concern
• Talking about HIV/Aids in isiXhosa

OUTCOMES

At the end of this nine-week course, students should have a basic isiXhosa medical vocabulary for a variety of health-related uses. Students should be able to demonstrate the following skills at a lower beginner level:

(a)    Listening skills: Listen to and understand basic sounds of isiXhosa, simple descriptions in isiXhosa, simple instructions in isiXhosa, basic questions in isiXhosa, and show understanding of the identification and description of patients and health-related matters, for example prescriptions and medication.

(b)   Verbal interaction: Pronounce basic sounds of isiXhosa, give simple descriptions in isiXhosa, simple instructions in isiXhosa, ask basic questions in isiXhosa, and provide an oral description of patient-related aspects and health-related matters, for example prescriptions and medication.

(c)    Reading: Read and understand basic sounds of isiXhosa, simple descriptions in isiXhosa, simple instructions in isiXhosa, basic questions in isiXhosa, and references to patients and health-related matters, for example prescriptions and medication.

DATES, VENUES AND TIMES OF CLASSES (Mondays and Wednesdays only)

REGISTRATION

Classes are kept small to ensure individual attention and to optimise learning. To avoid disappointment, please register as soon as possible.

Register here:   Staff Portal

• Please contact Luvuyo Martins at 021 808 9097 or lsmartins@sun.ac.za for any enquiries about the course.