LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 20:12 December 2020
ISSN 1930-2940

Editors:
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Lexical Level Problems in Translating Texts on
Preventive Medicine - A Study Based on the Book Health In These Times

Tharsika Muruganantham

Abstract

Translation is a fundamental aspect in circulating acquaintance and fresh innovations in the medical field. It can also be a serious element in providing healthcare services to patients or laypeople. The translators of medical texts encounter numerous complications, some of which includes the subject of research. They include medical terminology, lexical equivalence of medical texts, readability, quality issues. This study presents a common overview of the problems in lexical level of medical translation. It discusses certain problems related to characteristic features of medical language and inconsistency of equivalents: terminology, medical terms, medical equipment or tools, treatment or diagnosis, drug names, scientific names etc. Translating for lay-readers and professional audiences is the next issue that is considered in this paper. Considerable attention is paid to problems in translating medical texts, and other issues, such as verification and review.

Keywords: Translation, medical texts, lexical level, equivalents, lay-readers.

1. Introduction

Translation is a means of communication and a process of rendering meaning, ideas, or messages of a text from one language to another language. There are some factors which follow this process, which are primarily associated with the accuracy, lucidity, and artlessness of the meaning, concepts, ideas, or messages of the translation. Achieving perfect equivalence in rendering ST properties into TT ones is not possible since each language has its own grammatical, lexical, and textual systems which differentiate one from the other.

In the context of the translation of medical texts, the principal difficulty originates from the lexical sources which mean the problem of reproduction of lexical content of SL terms into TL terms.

This study is based on HEALTH IN THESE TIMES, a book written by Dr. Sanjiwa Wijesinha, MBBS (Ceylon), MSc (oxford), FRCS, FACS. The book contains a wide variety of health care and medical precautionary articles that are likely to interest the choosiest reader. The style is Sri Lankan reader-friendly and suffused with a delightfully impish sense of humour that serves to reinforce the important messages that the author wants to convey. The author’s approach is to emphasize the promotive and preventive aspects of the diseases that he deals within this book. This study deals with problems arises at lexical level while translating medical texts for laypeople analysing several translation procedures and issues encountered in the translation of medical texts providing a theoretical basis, as well as examples to support the ideas presented, proving thus that any translator or linguist must know the basics of the work he or she becomes bound to.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Tharsika Muruganantham
B.A. in Translation Studies
158B, GPS Road, Kalviyankaaadu, Jaffna
Sri Lanka
Phone: 0094779257933
tharshikamuruganantham@gmail.com
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