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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Language, medical tourism and the enterprising self
AU - Muth, Sebastian
AU - Suryanarayan, Neelakshi
PY - 2020/4/11
Y1 - 2020/4/11
N2 - This paper aims to demonstrate the implications of health mobilityon language practices in the medical tourism industry in India and on theways, language workers become entrepreneurs. Drawing from ethnographicfieldwork that traces the trajectories of three former students of Russian, wehighlight their future aspirations as language learners and entrepreneurs andshow, how they attempt to capitalize on language skills and respond tochanging conditions and patient movements within the structures, constraintsand uncertainties of the linguistic market. Here, it is our aim toillustrate what it takes to become an enterprising and successful languageworker and at the same time highlight their current positioning as emblematicyet subordinate figures within a fast-growing service industry in anemerging economy. We further demonstrate, how language skills not onlybecome commodities to serve existing or future markets, but instead arerecast as tools that can be strategically employed to secure recognition andaccess to prestigious and lucrative professional networks. In doing so, thispaper illustrates how linguistic value is produced in a service industry that todate only received little attention in sociolinguistic research.
AB - This paper aims to demonstrate the implications of health mobilityon language practices in the medical tourism industry in India and on theways, language workers become entrepreneurs. Drawing from ethnographicfieldwork that traces the trajectories of three former students of Russian, wehighlight their future aspirations as language learners and entrepreneurs andshow, how they attempt to capitalize on language skills and respond tochanging conditions and patient movements within the structures, constraintsand uncertainties of the linguistic market. Here, it is our aim toillustrate what it takes to become an enterprising and successful languageworker and at the same time highlight their current positioning as emblematicyet subordinate figures within a fast-growing service industry in anemerging economy. We further demonstrate, how language skills not onlybecome commodities to serve existing or future markets, but instead arerecast as tools that can be strategically employed to secure recognition andaccess to prestigious and lucrative professional networks. In doing so, thispaper illustrates how linguistic value is produced in a service industry that todate only received little attention in sociolinguistic research.
KW - language and healthcare
KW - language and work
KW - India
KW - medical tourism
KW - language commodification
U2 - 10.1515/multi-2019-0006
DO - 10.1515/multi-2019-0006
M3 - Journal article
VL - 39
SP - 321
EP - 342
JO - Multilingua
JF - Multilingua
SN - 0167-8507
IS - 3
ER -