Keywords
English language teacher education and silence
medical French
mediation tasks
CEFR
How to Cite
Abstract
This article examines the role of linguistic mediation in the teaching of medical French within a functional and task-oriented framework. Responding to the need for effective communication in multilingual and intercultural healthcare environments, the study explores how the communicative, pragmatic and institutional features of medical discourse shape the development of mediation tasks. Drawing on the distinction between general and specialized language, and using the mediation descriptors of the CEFR Companion Volume as an analytical lens, the investigation adopts a qualitative approach, combining theoretical examination with a pedagogical analysis of model tasks tailored to clinical contexts. This approach makes it possible to identify how mediation supports the transfer of meaning across registers, the interpretation and simplification of specialized information, and the management of interaction in culturally diverse clinical encounters. The analysis indicates that the specificity of medical language requires task designs which integrate linguistic, pragmatic and professional competences; that the three types of mediation fulfil distinct, yet complementary didactic functions; and that CEFR mediation descriptors provide a practical framework for operationalizing mediation competence in a medical French course. The article concludes with a set of classroom tasks illustrating the implementation of mediation and demonstrating their pedagogical value in preparing learners for real-life communication in healthcare settings.
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