In this episode of the Language on the Move Podcast, Brynn Quick chats with Dr. Nicole Marinaro, a sociolinguist and postdoctoral researcher at the University of Hamburg. Her work explores how language policies shape people’s experiences of accessing healthcare and other public services. Dr. Marinaro’s research focuses on linguistic justice, examining how communication barriers affect patients who speak a language other than the majority language and how these barriers can lead to unequal access to care. Today she and Brynn discuss her 2025 paper “Operationalising linguistic unease for the evaluation of language policies in healthcare“.
In this paper, Dr. Marinaro expands on the concept of “linguistic unease” as a practical framework for evaluating whether healthcare language policies truly meet patients’ communication needs. Through her research, Dr. Marinaro aims to help policymakers and healthcare organizations create more inclusive systems that ensure everyone can communicate confidently and receive equitable care.
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Hamburg University Medical Center (illustration only; not discussed in the conversation) (Image credit: UKE)
References
Gazzola, M., & Marinaro, N. (2022). Sprachenpolitik und Integration in Ausländerbehörden und Krankenhäusern: Der Fall Berlin und Leipzig. Jahrbuch der Gesellschaft für Interlinguistik, 2022, 57–84.
Marinaro, N. (2025). Operationalising linguistic unease for the evaluation of language policies in healthcare. Revista de Llengua i Dret (84), 73–93. https://doi.org/10.58992/rld.i84.2025.4492
Related content
Pacheco, E., & Quick, B. (2026). The (un)imagined work of linguistic inclusion. Language on the Move. https://languageonthemove.com/the-unimagined-work-of-linguistic-inclusion/
Piller, I., & Hlavac, J. (2024). Interpreting service provision is good value for money. Language on the Move. https://languageonthemove.com/interpreting-service-provision-is-good-value-for-money/
Quick, B., & Cho, J. (2025). Multilingual Practices and Monolingual Mindsets. Language on the Move. https://languageonthemove.com/multilingual-practices-and-monolingual-mindsets/
Quick, B., & Karliner, L. (2025). Improving quality of care for patients with limited English. Language on the Move. https://languageonthemove.com/improving-quality-of-care-for-patients-with-limited-english/
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