Navigating Healthcare Access for Migrants in Spain: A Scoping Review about Translation and Transcreation Strategies

Abstract

Migration, like any other social event, impacts society, creating new communication needs for migrants unfamiliar with the local language. It is then legitimate to question to what extent translation, as a communication facilitator, can contribute to strengthening the rights of migrants. This paper examines how translation, particularly transcreation—a creative reinterpretation of texts to suit different cultural and linguistic audiences—can enhance migrants’ rights. Focusing on healthcare access in Spain, a literature scoping review of 10 scientific papers was conducted using NVivo. The study highlights the significance of migration, the barriers migrants face, and the role of cultural mediation and translational activities. This paper concludes outlining future research lines.