What is medical terminology?

 Medical terminology is a specialised language used by healthcare professionals-it is

used to describe anatomical structures, processes, conditions, medical procedures
and treatments
 Primarily derived from Greek and Latin-this is because physicians of Greece are
considered the founders of rational medicine and medical terms are therefore
primarily derived from Greek and Latin. over the centuries the language of medicine
has evolved, so today medical English is the primary language of international
communication and it is used in most influential medical journals as well as a
language of choice at international conferences
 fixed structure > a prefix-usually appears at the beginning of a medical term and
indicates a location, direction, type, quality or quantity
a root,-gives the term it's essential meaning, nearly all medical
terms contain at least one root an in the absence of a prefix the term begins with the
root
and a suffix - appears at the end of a term and may indicate a
specialty, test, procedure, function, disorder, or status. It can also define whether
the word is a noun verb or an adjective
 E.g. hypothermia -first of all hypothermia is a condition that occurs when core body
temperature drops below 35°


What is medical translation

 Bridge between the world and healthcare
 Enables effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients
who speak different language
 Complex
 Require a high degree of accuracy and precision to ensure that the information is
conveyed correctly because if the information is conveyed incorrectly the
consequences can be great
 Different Types of medical translations> patient records, health insurance
documents, medical equipment manuals, translation of medical research papers,
translation services for Tele medicine, medical interpretation services,
pharmaceutical translation and localization of medical software and applications
Importance of translating medical terminology
 Patient safety – a smallest mistake can lead to significant issues
 translators of medical terminology must abide by several Legal and ethical
requirements to ensure that medical translation is accurate because inaccurate
translations can lead to misdiagnosis, incorrect treatment or bring harm to patients
and if that happens legal claims can arise from such errors in translation, especially
if patient-s safety is compromised
Medical translations must also comply with healthcare laws and regulations such as
health insurance portability and accountability act also known as HIPAA- in the US.-
so this act protect patients privacy and ensures confidentiality between healthcare
professionals and patients hipokratova zakletva - which is actually the basis of
multiple healthcare regulations. Translations of patient data including medical
records or prescriptions must also meet privacy and security standards.
 To ensure secure handling of medical documents and sensitive information
translators should implement robust data protection measures this can include
things such as secure file transfer methods, encrypting communication channels and
storing data on secure servers
 Accuracy and context –this is where the importance of human translation comes into
play-human translators do not just translate words but also interpret the cultural
and technical context which is crucial in medicine, where every detail can make a
difference. Additionally human translators understand specific medical terms and
use them correctly ensuring that the information is accurate and understandable to
both healthcare professionals and patients.
 Risks of machine translation-even though machine translation tools and artificial
intelligence have progress significantly over time they still pose significant risks when
used in the medical field, such as misinterpretations of medical terms and lack of
understanding of the cultural context. Relying on machine translation can lead to
dangerous results such as incorrect diagnosis or inappropriate treatments given that
automated systems cannot capture the nuances and complexity of medical jargon
which can result in costly and even potentially life threatening errors.

 Accessibility to healthcare

Problems with medical terminology

 Inappropriate or confusing medical abbreviations - doctors often use
abbreviations to save time during surgical procedures, emergency rooms and
when discharging patients. However, those abbreviations have not been
regulated and there may be abbreviations that can stand from multiple things or
be open to interpretation. The US institute of safe medication practises has
 received many reports of medical errors and mistakes caused by
misinterpretation of medical abbreviations despite the dangers of using them
doctors continue to use medical abbreviations.
 e.g. q.d. – once daily ≠ q.i.d. – 4 times daily- one of the most common medical
abbreviation errors include the use of Q.D. For once daily which can be mistaken
for QID which means four times daily this mistake could cause a patient to take
four times the recommended dose in one day potentially causing injury or
serious harm.
 I.U. Is a term for international unit but can be confused with I.V. for intravenous
 another common mistake involves the use of a decimal- A prescription for .5
could be read as 5 if the decimal is not seen, So to remedy this, doctors should
use 0.5
 health literacy- is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find
understand and use information regarding their health as well as to make
informed health related decisions for themselves and others-health literacy
worldwide is generally low and could possibly be improved by lowering the
amount of problems of medical terminology

Challenges of translating medical terminology

 Medical terminology is an extremely specialised and complex field of study and
understanding and accurately translating specific terms requires more than just
linguistic knowledge also requires a solid medical background as each term has a
specific unique and precise meaning and any error in translation does not simply
result in a misunderstanding but could potentially cause a real tragedy.
 Medicine is a science deeply connected with culture as it has traits that bring it's
very close to disciplines that are usually considered humanistic for example one
symptom can be interpreted differently in different cultures and treatments may
vary as well. This makes medical translation an exercise in cultural sensitivity and
awareness. Adapting to these cultural nuances is particularly important in translating
medical documents such as informed consent patient instructions or health
education materials where cultural understanding can make the difference between
proper patient care and a dangerous misunderstanding.
 When translating medical terminology precision is an absolute and very real
necessity. It goes beyond correct translation of specific medical term given that the
reason why precision is so important lies in the fact that it can literally make the
difference between life and death. Accuracy in medical language requires a high
degree of attention to detail because despite being a technical and specific language
one term can have different nuances of meaning in different contexts which makes
the correct interpretation of the context crucial. Additionally it is extremely
important to maintain the tone of the original text as the change in tone can alter
the way the information is perceived and interpreted which can affect the
effectiveness.
 Laboratory test results medical reports treatment instructions are for examples
when time is of essence in medicine in order to provide adequate patient care in a
timely manner.
 It is important to remember that medical translation requires translators with a
specific training and experience in medicine so not all translators can handle the
complexity of medical terminology and the level of expertise that medical translation
requires cannot be overlooked. The demand for translators with specific training in
medicine is significant however appropriately there is also a shortage of qualified
translators in this field due to its complexities and requirements.