What are the benefits of knowing more than one language when it comes to Speech Pathology?

Hi Gyna,

I found a very interesting material on the subject, which explains in detail the advantages of being a speech pathologist with skills in more than one language to better serve the needs of patients:

"Audiologists or SLPs who present themselves as bilingual for the purposes of providing clinical services must be able to speak their primary language and to speak (or sign) at least one other language with native or near-native proficiency in lexicon (vocabulary), semantics (meaning), phonology (pronunciation), morphology/syntax (grammar), and pragmatics (uses) during clinical management. In addition to linguistic proficiency, the audiologist or SLP must have the specific knowledge and skill sets necessary for the services to be delivered. Understanding the normal processes and phenomena of second-language acquisition is important to ensure accurate assessment of bilingual clients".

http://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589935225§ion=Key_Issues

Good luck!!

Hi,
You have a great answer above, I will add that any language you learn will be helpful in any career nowadays since we live in more of a global business environment...we have people from all over the world living here in the USA and knowing another language will give you more employment options as well and travel opportunities.
Good luck!

Knowing more than one language is essential, especially in the growing melting pot around the world. Have I worked in other countries? Yes I have. Did knowing other languages help? YES it did. Interpreters do not have the same skill set as a trained speech language pathologist and it helps when you can cue them in their language to not give hints to the patients. I used interpreters when required because some facilities require an interpreter at minimum for the evaluation if the clinician is not a certified interpreter in that language.

With my background in certain languages, I was able to help families understand my role immediately, without waiting on resources that could take* weeks to put into place. I have had patients who inspired me to become conversational in many languages, especially in cities such as New York City, New Orleans, Dallas, Philadelphia, or the District of Columbia.

Knowing the sounds, phonemes, and development of different languages helped me to assist nursing in knowing whether a patient was alternating between their native language and secondary language because of a side effect of a stroke, dementia, etc. It is a benefit to having a grasp on different languages, especially as a skilled clinician. You want to be able to communicate efficiently with a patient in their most native and comfortable tongue to get a true assessment of their abilities. This helps the doctor and entire medical team give them the most optimal treatment and care possible.