Throughout history, translation has made an outstanding contribution to the progress of science, enabling access to knowledge and the transmission of learning. In this sense, medicine has been one of the branches that has probably benefited most from the work of translators, and a good example of this is the preservation of the great medical works of anti —such as the Corpus hippocraticum— thanks to the efforts of translators in transferring and preserving them.
From an academic point of view, medical translation is usually pigeonholed in a broader branch commonly referred to as ‘scientific-technical’; however, more and more specialists in the field of translatology are making an effort to highlight the specific characteristics of medical translation, thus conceiving it as an entity of its own that requires a particular and differentiated treatment. Therefore, despite the undoubted kinship between scientific-technical texts in general and medical texts in particular, those aspects that make medical translation a specific field are equally noteworthy, and that is why we have decided to dedicate a special mention to it in this short article.
Criteria justifying medical translation as a specialty of its own
The first aspect to highlight when categorizing medical translation as an academic specialty per se is the existence of its own field of research. In this regard, it should be noted that medical translation is currently undergoing considerable theoretical development, as is corroborated by the presence of numerous volumes dealing with aspects related to this field, from terminology and language to the history and culture of medical translation. In our country, there are some specialized journals that concentrate a large part of the monographic production linked to medicine, language and translation, as is the case of Panace@, published quarterly since March 1988 by the Official College of Physicians of Navarra.
Secondly, it is noteworthy that the generation of knowledge in the field of medical translation is accompanied by a professional activity with considerable weight, which also contributes to the creation of a space of its own for this specialty. Thus, there are some professionals dedicated almost exclusively to this activity, although it is true that many of them usually combine it with the translation of other sub-specialties in the scientific-technical field. Likewise, the progressive increase in the number of translators’ websites and translation agencies specializing in the medical-health sector is yet another sign of the interest in this specialized branch of work that has been growing in recent times.
Finally, it should be borne in mind that for a specialty to be consolidated in both the academic and professional spheres, it is essential that it be included and made visible in higher education. And, although it is true that in many Translation and Interpreting degrees medical translation can be somewhat overshadowed by its inclusion in technical translation subjects, in recent years there has been a growing awareness of the importance of giving a more relevant role to this specialty, and a good example of this is the creation of specific postgraduate programs, such as the Master’s Degree in Medical-Sanitary Translation at the Universitat Jaume I.
Specific features of medical translation
Once some of the criteria justifying the existence of medical translation as a specific independent branch have been presented, we will proceed to explain some of the specificities of this discipline. One of the most unique aspects of medical translation —and one that is frequently mentioned as one of the main reasons for the complexity that characterizes it— is the extent of the scope it covers. In this sense, breadth and interdisciplinarity are two inherent characteristics of medical translation, which can encompass fields as diverse as pharmacology, bio-health or genetics.
On the other hand, as regards the communicative aspect of the message, we can classify medical-health texts into two subgroups: on the one hand, we have those texts that present a very high degree of specialization, as is the case of research or popularization articles published in medical journals, and, on the other hand, there are texts that are addressed to the general public, as is the case of medical leaflets, informative brochures or clinical trials, so that they often use a less elevated tone. These two subgroups would then be identified with the two prototypical textual genres within medical translation.
As for the linguistic difficulties inherent to medical translation, one of the most complex aspects is that of terminology, something that also occurs in other specific branches of scientific-technical translation. However, it must be taken into account that in the medical field it is essential for the translator to have a perfect understanding of the information in the source text so that they can translate it in such a way that what is expressed in the translated text is perfectly in line with the original, since in medical translation a misunderstanding could have dire consequences for patients. It is therefore highly recommended that medical translators have a basic knowledge of medical-health concepts and are very familiar with the lexicon, which abounds with Latin and Greek roots, «terminological doublets», neologisms and abbreviations. From the linguistic point of view, it is also worth noting the hegemony of English as the lingua franca of global bio-health communication.
However, in addition to all these linguistic and terminological peculiarities, it must be taken into account that medical communication is also affected by the cultural and social environment in which the communicative process takes place; therefore, if the translator is completely unaware of the cultural reality of the target audience to whom the message is addressed, some misunderstandings may arise, which may make the message difficult to understand.
Having briefly reviewed some of the most outstanding characteristics of medical translation, we can conclude with two statements: on the one hand, to ratify the idea that the field of medicine deserves a differentiated space within the translation sector, and, on the other hand, to highlight the importance of training for all those professional translators who wish to specialize in this field.
At FAST.txt we have the best translators specialized in more than 50 languages, also in the medical-health sector. So, if you need to hire a translation service in the field of medicine and all its aspects (pharmacology, genetics, public health, biology, etc.) do not hesitate to contact us: You can rely on FAST.txt.
Carlos Sánchez Luis