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Term Issues in Medical Translation: Expanding Usage in Local Languages

Received: 20 December 2023    Accepted: 2 January 2024    Published: 18 January 2024
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Abstract

Despite significant progress in the study of languages, the use of local languages in many regions is often viewed as restricted to informal contexts such as trading or community problem-solving. They are said to be incapable of extending their use to express important scientific notions, including those from the field of medicine. This paper investigates a set of medical terms in some West African languages, looking at how these terms are translated. The study draws from various disciplinary approaches, including linguistics, terminology, and translation, with emphasis on the cultural dimension of language. Relying on previous linguistic descriptions and translation projects in four representative sample languages, the paper presents an analysis of the methods for term creation or formation of selected HIV AIDS terms, then explores possible attitudes from speech communities towards the intrusion of new concepts. This paper offers some insights into the importance of using local languages in development programs and lays the groundwork for a more objective appreciation of less documented languages. The paper eventually shows that translating medical terms into local languages also means exploiting creativity in language, extending existing domains of usage, as well as enhancing the as yet hardly positive attitude towards linguistic repertoires which can be used in the process of community building.

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 10, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11
Page(s) 1-8
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Medical Translation, Medical Terms, Term Formation, Language Use, Lexical Extension, Local Language, Linguistic Creativity

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Yao, N. A. (2024). Term Issues in Medical Translation: Expanding Usage in Local Languages. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 10(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11

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    ACS Style

    Yao, N. A. Term Issues in Medical Translation: Expanding Usage in Local Languages. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2024, 10(1), 1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11

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    AMA Style

    Yao NA. Term Issues in Medical Translation: Expanding Usage in Local Languages. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2024;10(1):1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11,
      author = {Nahounou Angenor Yao},
      title = {Term Issues in Medical Translation: Expanding Usage in Local Languages},
      journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
      volume = {10},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-8},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20241001.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20241001.11},
      abstract = {Despite significant progress in the study of languages, the use of local languages in many regions is often viewed as restricted to informal contexts such as trading or community problem-solving. They are said to be incapable of extending their use to express important scientific notions, including those from the field of medicine. This paper investigates a set of medical terms in some West African languages, looking at how these terms are translated. The study draws from various disciplinary approaches, including linguistics, terminology, and translation, with emphasis on the cultural dimension of language. Relying on previous linguistic descriptions and translation projects in four representative sample languages, the paper presents an analysis of the methods for term creation or formation of selected HIV AIDS terms, then explores possible attitudes from speech communities towards the intrusion of new concepts. This paper offers some insights into the importance of using local languages in development programs and lays the groundwork for a more objective appreciation of less documented languages. The paper eventually shows that translating medical terms into local languages also means exploiting creativity in language, extending existing domains of usage, as well as enhancing the as yet hardly positive attitude towards linguistic repertoires which can be used in the process of community building.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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    AB  - Despite significant progress in the study of languages, the use of local languages in many regions is often viewed as restricted to informal contexts such as trading or community problem-solving. They are said to be incapable of extending their use to express important scientific notions, including those from the field of medicine. This paper investigates a set of medical terms in some West African languages, looking at how these terms are translated. The study draws from various disciplinary approaches, including linguistics, terminology, and translation, with emphasis on the cultural dimension of language. Relying on previous linguistic descriptions and translation projects in four representative sample languages, the paper presents an analysis of the methods for term creation or formation of selected HIV AIDS terms, then explores possible attitudes from speech communities towards the intrusion of new concepts. This paper offers some insights into the importance of using local languages in development programs and lays the groundwork for a more objective appreciation of less documented languages. The paper eventually shows that translating medical terms into local languages also means exploiting creativity in language, extending existing domains of usage, as well as enhancing the as yet hardly positive attitude towards linguistic repertoires which can be used in the process of community building.
    
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Author Information
  • Department of Languages, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

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