Wang, C. 2024. Do We Translate ‘Dementia’ as ‘痴呆症’? Notes on Medical Terminology Translation and Online Resources for Translators. International Conference on Translation Communication and Intercultural Studies. University of California, San Diego, USA 01 - 05 May 2024
| Title | Do We Translate ‘Dementia’ as ‘痴呆症’? Notes on Medical Terminology Translation and Online Resources for Translators |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wang, C. |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | In this paper, I draw upon my experience of co-managing a medical translation project, and discuss how English-Chinese medical translation students should be guided in their translation practice. Citing the case of ‘dementia’ and its Chinese translations available in various online resources, including well-known terminology databases such as 术语在线 (https://www.termonline.cn/), and the UNTERM Portal (https://conferences.unite.un.org/unterm/search) as created by the UN’s Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) to support the provision of high-quality language services for intergovernmental meetings, I take issue with the general recommendation where one mines the internet for a translation when translating terminologies, and argue that this approach can have adverse impact on the users of medical translation, who include patients themselves and their family. I propose that we re-assess the current practice of English-Chinese medical translator training, and train translators to critically use online resources and adopt an innovative approach when necessary. |
| Year | 2024 |
| Conference | International Conference on Translation Communication and Intercultural Studies |
| Accepted author manuscript | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Publisher's version | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | 01 May 2024 |
| File | File Access Level Open (open metadata and files) |