Translating Medical Terms In Medical Biography

As a major division of translation of technical terminology,translation of medical terminology demands accuracy.The majority of previous studies on the translation of medical terms focus on standard terms in medical texts but fail to study terms used in medical practice.By examining the translation of medical biography,a genre about the practice of "medicine and healing",the translator hopes to shed light on methods of translating terms in medical practice.This report is based on the translation of chapter five from Walk on Water The Miracle of Saving Children's Lives,a medical biography by Michael Ruhlman.Terms were extracted with the help of CAT tools and then the translator sieved through the source text.The handpicked terms were classified into two groups,namely,1)terms with standardized Chinese translation and 2)terms without standardized translation.For terms with standardized Chinese translation,it is advised to follow established translation published by China National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technologies.As for terms without standardized Chinese translation,it is possible to come up with translation under the guidance of authoritative dictionaries,parallel texts and reference materials.Useful translation strategies of medical terms include:literal translation of terms that are explicit in meaning and structure;transliteration of pharmaceutical products and medical terms derived from names of individuals;restitution of abbreviated and shortened terms;and free translation of terms whose meaning cannot be expressed in a literal sense.This report is designated to summarize the methods utilized in translation of medical terms in the hope of demystifying the medical profession and contributing to medical translation in China.