Language matters: dietitians’ lived experiences of language barriers during nutrition counselling with Sesotho-speaking mothers in the first 1 000 days of life

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore language barriers between dietitians and Sesotho-speaking mothers, the impact of these language barriers on nutrition consultations, and proposed solutions to address them.Design: A qualitative phenomenological study was undertaken to explore the dietitians’ lived experiences through face-to-face interviews.Setting: The study was conducted at 20 public health institutions in the Free State province.Subjects: The sample included 22 dietitians who were purposively selected.Results: Most of the participants reported experiencing language barriers, including dietitians lacking proficiency in Sesotho, the predominantly spoken language. The negative impact of language barriers on the nutrition care process was explored. Furthermore, some Sesotho-speaking mothers displayed resistance to receiving healthcare services in English. The role of power and privilege in language was also highlighted, given that indigenous South African languages have not received equal parity compared with English and Afrikaans. Dietitians reported difficulty in explaining nutrition concepts in Sesotho. Strategies and recommendations identified to overcome language barriers included the use of interpreters, visual aids, and codeswitching.Conclusion and implication: The results of the current study confirm that language barriers result in communication gaps and that practical solutions are necessary to ensure the success of healthcare interventions. This study contributes to understanding the intricacies of language barriers, especially in a South African public health care setting. However, it recommended that the research be repeated in other areas of South Africa to understand the true complexity of language barriers in healthcare interventions.