A contribution to the department of medicine through the translation of a medical textbook from English to Spanish

Abstract

The present written report attemps to make reference to a translation project that was developed thanks to an agreement between the Department of Medicine and the Department of Linguistics and Languages in order to create a cooperation between both institutions. This Supervised Project has the objective of contributing to the Department of Medicine at the Mayor de San Andrés University in the translation of a virtual medical textbook ("Bate´s Guide to Physical Examination and Hystory Taking"). It was carried out in order to cooperate students and doctors who want to have access to the information that this book written in English can offer to those who cannot speak and understand this language. On the other hand, it is also intended to collaborate to the Department of Linguistics and Languages with a glossary of medical terms that will be useful for future works in this specific area of translation. At the same time, It makes reference to all the activities developed during the whole translation process. It is particularly concerned with every stage of the translation as well as the analysis of the medical terms, all the translation tecniques used and the steps followed for the development of the translation work.

This work consists of five chapters in which we can find all the information related to the activities and the development of the whole Supervised Project. The first chapter starts with a general description about the Department of Medicine (history of the institution), the organization of the institution (strategic and institutional plan), and followed by the needs and identification of the problem. It contextualizes our Supervised Project with relation to the organizational needs of the Department of Medicine and illustrates how our work has been intended to contribute to the improvement of a Department of Medicine which is already strong and advancing.

The second chapter constitutes the interdisciplinary conceptual reference which has guided our translation and based it. This is done in order to define a concept, main method, style, procedures (tecniques) and steps of the translation. This framework considers the meaning and methods of academic translation with reference to our source text (Bate's Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking). It applies concepts such as equivalence and

language function to determine the methods, style and steps suitable for our translation task. This includes a consideration of both formal and dynamic equivalence, as well as the function of the target text. It then justifies the use of literal translation and various other translation techniques, including modulation, in the completion of the Supervised Project. It also explains the necessary process of revision and editing for this translation.

The third chapter presents the project proposal in which it is addressed the justification, objectives, fulfillment indicators, and a chronology of activities such as: action strategies, work planning and action plan. It also demonstrates the methods of translation used with examples from the course and target texts. It also shows glossaries of terms encountered during the process of translation.

The fourth chapter deals with the development of the project proposal that gathers the main aspects about the project schedule, sequence of activities (stages of the translation process) achievements and experiences. It records the successful implementation of the project proposal in relation to the indicators established in chapter three. This shows the actual sequence of steps taken to complete the translation.

The fifth chapter focuses on the conclusions and recommendations that derived from the whole process of the Supervised Project. Here we explain the impact of our work and make suggestions for how other Linguistics and Languages students can do other translations in the future, including steps to take before translating and translation itself. Finally, it offers appendixes in which it is included the agreement between the Department of Medicine and the Department of Linguistics and Languages as well as the report of the Faculty of Medicine, the technical terminology found during the translation, and other annexes as some samples of the chapters of the translated medical textbook.