In the present landscape of globalization, immigrants have attained demographic weight in developed countries and economic relevance in the territories they left behind. The province of Alicante (Spain) is home to 32,899 Romanian immigrants. Almost half of them are women who not only manage themselves in daily communication, but also bridge the linguistic gap between their families and local service providers. This paper focuses on health care communication and tries to show the centrality of the body within medical relations, especially in a transcultural setting and from a gender-oriented perspective. I will focus on how eight Romanian women living in Spain perceived bodily issues when they helped relatives or friends communicate with health care providers in Spanish services. My case study is supported by a guided interview intended to elicit information on these women's perceptions both as ad hoc interpreters and as patients under their immigrant circumstances. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Community interpreting the body migrating women globalization Health care communication

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