Lost in culture: Language discordance and culturalization in social work with migrants

Social work carried out without a shared language, can be referred to as language discordant social work. In this article we discuss links between discordance and culturalization in work, based on data from participant observation of meetings workers service users who lack language. We how tend attribute the preferences actions collective group identities categorized ‘culture’. This termed culturalization, process by which situations, problems, or differences are explained generalized cultural interpretations. show occurred when attributed utterances ‘cultural differences’, rather than discordance, problems communication, related interpreting. argue that there is an intrinsic interrelatedness communicative difficulties sense communication misdiagnosed issue difference’. inhibits workers’ abilities effectively identify issues reduces their ability see clients’ resources capacities accurately.