Medical TranslationMedical translation is a challenge in the translation field because it requires a high level of medical knowledge and the experience of the translator. Medical translation is different from other industries. Generally, consumers consider the experience and translation level of the translator when choosing a translation company. Only professional translation companies and excellent translators can guarantee translation quality.

If the translation company or translator lacks sufficient experience, it is easy to fall into the pitfalls of medical translation. This article summarizes some common pitfalls in medical translation based on past experiences and how to address these pitfalls.

Pitfall One: As long as the translation level is good, medical translation can be done well.

Medical translation requires the translator to be professional, especially for medical records and academic papers. Ordinary translators cannot provide accurate vocabulary translations. Therefore, even English professionals must be particularly careful when handling medical translations. When translating rubbings, more than one client mentioned that their paper or abstract had been translated by a friend who was an English major, but they had to redo it. The main reason lies in the mastery of terminology. In addition, language workers focus on language application, while medical translation focuses on professional terms. Different normative requirements can lead to different translation results. Therefore, to do a good job in medical translation, one must not only have good language skills but also have many years of medical background to master the translation of professional terms.

PitfallTwo: Translating by vocabulary without understanding the meaning.

To complete medical papers, many students use software and students with poor professional English to translate. Their courage is commendable, but they should master the methods appropriately. If we translate to cope with situations where we cannot understand the original text, we can imagine the effect of the translation. After software translation, the translation result can differ significantly from the original text. Therefore, to do a good translation, one must first understand the original text and use accurate technical terms based on that understanding.

Pitfall Three: Dependence on dictionaries in translation.

With the development of the internet and the diversification of dictionaries, it has provided great convenience for the translation of medical personnel. However, the selection of words by the internet and dictionaries can sometimes be inaccurate. If we rely solely on dictionaries and the internet for mechanical and comprehensive translation, leading to inaccuracies, it will mislead readers' understanding of the article. In such cases, it is necessary to check the article where the translation is located or continue searching online to find the exact professional vocabulary. Another drawback of relying entirely on dictionaries is that they do not accumulate vocabulary. Those who are willing to translate will accumulate some words when engaging in any type of medical translation. Over time, some familiar words can be translated without looking them up, which not only improves the accuracy of the translation but also increases the speed of translation.

Pitfall Four: Word-for-word translation.

This translation error mainly targets the translation of medical SCI papers. The main reason that medical SCI paper translations cannot be word-for-word is that the authors do not follow writing rules when writing. Many researchers have written papers in Chinese, but when they translate them into English, they do not know how to express themselves, which is completely limited to the meaning of Chinese. It is important to know that if there are issues such as non-standard writing in Chinese papers, it will inevitably affect the publication cycle of the papers.

For medical translation, one must not only have strong language translation skills but also be familiar with medical knowledge. Otherwise, the translation results may not be ideal, which could directly affect the final outcome. Please be careful when handling medical translations.