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Published on: February 16, 2011
Quality in medical translations: a review
Daniela Garcia-Castillo1, Michael D Fetters
1Literature Science and Arts and Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at the University of Michigan, USA. garciaca@umich.edu
Abstract:
Despite a growing number of U.S. citizens who do not speak English fluently, little literature attends to issues of accurate translation of medical documents. We conducted a systematic review of the World Wide Web and electronic library resources to identify sources on translating clinical and medical research documents. We identified and carefully examined 44 relevant articles. Each article was coded with 5 to 10 key words that were used as a guide when we searched the articles for issues salient to assuring quality in medical translations. We divided these into two major categories, mechanics/practicalities of translating medical documents and extrinsic factors influencing medical translations. The results of this review confirm that medical translation is a complex process involving far more than mechanically converting one language to another. Attention to translation procedures can improve the quality of care for limited English proficient patients.
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01:31Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
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01:31Translation
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Proteins are called the...
01:31Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
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