Proper communication is crucial for successful treatment, and therefore it is an integral part of both undergraduate study and postgraduate training in medicine. The ability to communicate is very important in intercultural relations. When overcoming language barriers with migrants and refugees, physicians need to consider the patient socio-cultural beliefs, language barriers, and possible presence of latent infection and chronic diseases. Just as in medical examination of subjects from the majority population, communication should be individually adjusted when treating representatives of migrants and refugees. Thereby, it must be taken into account that non-verbal communication is not universal. For overcoming language barriers, physicians and health professionals mostly use services of lay interpreters who, in general, facilitate communication, but studies have shown that they may also have a negative role. Online translation tools, handbooks and dictionaries are used less frequently. Regardless of the patient cultural background and language barriers, the physician and his/her associates must build a trustful relationship based on mutual respect from the very beginning. When providing health care to migrants, physicians must take into account the specific stress factors associated with migration and their impact on the incidence of mental disorders, as well as long stays of migrants and refugees in the host country. © 2017, Academy of Medical Sciences of Croatica. All rights reserved.

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