This book addresses recent developments in medical and language education. Both fields have broadened their focus on clinical expertise and linguistic skills to address issues of cultural competence. The book re-imagines the language classroom in medical settings as an arena for the exploration of values and professional identity.

Peih-ying Lu is Associate Professor of English, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. She has published on intercultural language education in Taiwan, intercultural language education and citizenship, and on the use of art, literature and problem-based learning in medical education.Corbett John :

John Corbett is Professor of English at the University of Macau and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. He has published widely on language education and on corpus-based linguistics. Among his books are An Intercultural Approach to English Language Teaching (Multilingual Matters 2003) and Intercultural Language Activities (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

Peih-ying Lu is Associate Professor of English, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. She has published on intercultural language education in Taiwan, intercultural language education and citizenship, and on the use of art, literature and problem-based learning in medical education.

John Corbett is Professor of English at the University of Macau and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow. He has published widely on language education and on corpus-based linguistics. Among his books are An Intercultural Approach to English Language Teaching (Multilingual Matters 2003) and Intercultural Language Activities (Cambridge University Press, 2010).

The authors have written a highly readable, thought-provoking book in response to a rapidly developing educational field. They successfully highlight the parallels between inter-cultural communicative competence and cultural competence in medical education and suggest valid ways of exploring medical language and medical talk by using contemporary digital resources.

Celia Roberts, Centre for Language, Discourse and Communication, King's College London, UK:

Underpinning this engaging and wide-ranging book is the idea that being a doctor in today's globalised societies means becoming an intercultural communicator and ethnographer. Drawing on medical anthropology, sociology and humanities, this book contributes towards establishing a new medical sub-discipline: medical linguistics. It brings together widely discussed notions of intercultural competence from language education with medical concerns about working with diversity. With an elastic view of language, it landscapes in an exciting range of resources. It is packed full of practical suggestions as well as being theoretically informed and analytically driven. This is a really useful read for medical educators throughout the world.

Helen M. Shields, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, USA:

Peih-ying Lu and John Corbett have written an innovative and valuable book with memorable chapters highlighting and analyzing vivid examples of physician-patient dialogue. They provide fresh approaches and thoughtful discussions regarding exploring patients' cultural beliefs about health. This book is an essential resource for medical educators and faculty interested in improving cross-cultural care education.

John Skelton, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK:

This is an unusual book, and an unusually interesting one, bringing together two distinct traditions - academic medicine and English for Medical Purposes. The authors' claim that the book represents a 'change of direction' is well substantiated - it's full of good, sophisticated, intelligently argued ideas, but always a pleasure to read. Those involved in the development of EMP courses will gain real insight into how medical educators perceive medical language, while the actual learning tasks offered by way of example are stimulating, original and tremendously useful. The book would also be of value to medical educators who want to broaden their understanding of the challenges faced by non-native speaker medical students or doctors.