Article published in:
Target
Vol. 16:1 (2004) ► pp. 125–142

Latin-based terms

True or false friends?

| Århus School of Business, Denmark

The concept of complete equivalence is highly questionable, yet it is still relied on, for all practical purposes, in connection with the translation of Latin-based medical terms. This practice is potentially harmful, a case in point being the translation of medical texts for laymen from English into Danish. Contrary to Danish (and German and other Scandinavian languages), everyday English (and French) avails itself of numerous Latin-based medical terms, as no non-specialized alternative exists. When these terms are directly transferred under the assumption of complete equivalence, the level of formality is drastically raised. Increased awareness of the potential danger to communication posed by Latin-based terms in texts meant for lay audiences in Scandinavia and Germany is therefore desirable.

Keywords: Latin-based terms, medical translation, lingua franca, equivalence, skopos, lay audience, level of formality
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Complete equivalence between technical terms—an exception to the rule?
  • 3.Koller’s equivalence model
  • 4.Case-study background
  • 5.The case of Latin-based terms
    • 5.1The role of Latin in everyday language versus expert register
    • 5.2Standardisation
  • 6.Conclusion: True or false friends?
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 21 February 2005
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.16.1.07zet
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