Philology/ 6. Actual problems of translation

Ph.D., Associate Professor S.V. Shvetsova

Irkutsk State Academy of Agriculture, Russia

K.S. Laricheva

Irkutsk State Linguistic University, Irkutsk

Some difficulties in medical terms translations

The translation of medical terms from English into Russian and Russian into English represents an interesting and rich area for translation studies. This paper provides a small contribution to the characterization of the main translation-related problems encountered in this area.

In modern situation when the borders between countries and nations are gradually eliminating and international communication is becoming more and more intensive, the importance of translators is hard to overestimate. In spite of the fact that English nowadays is a universal language of intercultural communication, there is still a great demand for well-qualified specialists of translation from one language to another.

One of the most popular types of translation of the present day is the translation of the texts of a medical nature. Medical translation at the same time is one of the most challenging types of translation. An expert specializing in the translation of medical texts should fully understand the text. A translator bears a great responsibility, as the appropriate translation allows a precise diagnosis and as a result the correct choice of method of treatment and sometimes saving of human life.

It is very important that the final translation of medical texts should be one hundred percent accurate and competent. No concept in the translation of medical texts should be distorted or missed. It is terrible to imagine what might happen if the translator made a mistake in the translation of the instructions on the application of any of medical preparation or guidelines for the operation of medical equipment and what consequences this may cause.

Unfortunately, today it’s becoming popular to use such type of translation of medical terms as transcription of English notions by Cyrillic alphabet’s letters: паттерн, обсессия (pattern, obsession). Usually it is approved by the necessity of accuracy and impossibility to transfer all the “shades of meaning” contained in the term. But in fact it’s more due to poor knowledge of Russian and English terminology, failure to understand the true meaning of the words and desire to make the text have scientific style. [Samoilov 2006]

In translator's work of great importance is the correct choice of an adequate meaning. Inaccuracy in translation, as we have already mentioned above, may put the life of the patient in danger. Starting point for successful intercultural communication of doctors depends on professionalism of translator not only in the choice of lexical, morphological and syntactic units, but also in knowledge of terminology as well as taking into account the stylistic peculiarities.

Translator of medical texts must so clearly focus on the subject that he would be able to confidently identify ambiguous terms and phrases: not forgetting about the existence of “false friends of the translator”) and to determine their interpretation. [Parrott, Rakova 1997].

The wrong perception of the semantics of "false friends of the translator" by native speakers of the Russian language results not only in speech mistakes but also leads to different incorrect clinical decisions. For example, lexemes which exist in both languages can have opposite meanings: complexion – телосложение (constitution) in Russian, complexion - colour and external structure of the facial skin in English; angina - заболевание горла (sore throat) in Russian, angina – stenocardia, angina pectoris in English; symptomatic can mean not only symptomatic, but also with clinical manifestations, for example, symptomatic depression, symptomatic blepharospasm; presentation – представление чего-либо, выступление (display of something, performance in Russian), but presentation – certain position, asynclitism, demonstration of patient, description of case in English.

Search for an exact Russian equivalent or any other English medical term - the task is not always easy. This can be explained by a number of circumstances. The first of them is an absence of general order of medical terms in Russian as well as in English which is reflected in the abundance of synonyms in the designation of one and the same concept, and, on the other hand, in the presence of polysemy . While translating, medical specialists are often uncertain about whether to use a special term or a word from everyday language. It often presents a challenge for the translator.

The second circumstance is connected with the richness of the English medical vocabulary in terms of Greek and Latin origin which are at first sight transparent for the translation, because the Russian language has similar borrowings. However, among these terms there are one and the same words in Russian and English languages which have different and sometimes opposite meaning. [Khantakova 2006]

So, for example, the Russian term мутиляция - mutilation (from Latin "mutilare" — to cut, detruncate, shorten) is used in those cases, when more or less large distal limb segment (one or more finger phalanges, hand, foot or larger part) undergoes necrosis and then spontaneously separates by the demarcation inflammation, i.e. the rejection of the necrotic part of the body or organ. And in English, the term mutilation inominates mutilation, crippling damage, for example, mutilation means mutilating surgery, ablation. Another perfect example of confirmation of this phenomenon is the term hemeralopia. In Russian language hemeralopia means nocturnal amblyopia, in English, at least in American literature, hemeralopia is day blindness. This term may be used by mistake in the translation into English of the true meaning of the Russian term; i.e. “night blindness” in the process of professional communication. Such famous dictionaries as Multilex also make the process of adequate or precise translating difficult by giving directly opposite translation of these terms: hemeralopia - 1. day-blindness and 2. night blindness, nyctalopia [Shvetsova 2005]

In conclusion, in the process of translation of medical terms it is important to be very careful with interpretation of terms with Latin and Greek origins and also when meeting with borrowed vocabulary, which can have partial or complete differences in the meaning.

It should be remembered that the translation of medical terminology requires deep and exhaustive understanding of the subject and implies the great responsibility of the translator. Therefore, a qualitative, in all respects correct and accurate translation of medical terms can be provided only by highly experienced specialists who deal with medical subjects and have immaculate language knowledge.

References

1. Akzhigitov G.N. English-Russian Medical Dictionary / G.N Akzhigitov, G.N. Benyumovich, M.S. Chikorin – М.: Rus.lang., 1988.-608 p.

2. Khantakova, V.M. Synonymy of forms and synonymy of meanings: a theoretical model of the analysis of integrative interaction between synonymous units of one- and multilevel belonging [Text]: the dissertation of doctor of philological Science: 10.02.04 / V.M. Khantakova. – Irkutsk, 2006. – 335 p

3. Parrott R., Rakova А.А. Semantic peculiarities of medical terms in Russian and English languages // International seminar Language Semantics and the image of the world, devoted to 200 anniversary of Kazan State University 7 - 10 October, 1997

4. Samoilov D.V. About translation of medical text/ Publishing House "Practika", 2006.

5. Shvetsova, S.V. Linguistic analysis of the ways of formation of the terms in the modern ophthalmologic terminological system. – abstract of PhD dissertation. – Irkutsk, 2005.

6. Shvetsova S.V., Pospelov V.A. English-Russian and Russian-English ophthalmologic dictionary/ S.V. Shvetsova, Pospelov V.A., Nebera S.A. – Irkutsk: ISU, 2003.-258 p.