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.
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Cited by
Cited by 9 other publications
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2017. Intralingual Translation and Its Place within Translation Studies – A Theoretical Discussion. Meta 61:3 ► pp. 692 ff.
Valdez, Susana
2022. On the reception of biomedical translation: comparing and contrasting health professionals’ evaluation of translation options and expectations about the safe use of medical devices in Portuguese. The Translator 28:4 ► pp. 538 ff.
Vessey, Rachelle
2016. Approaches to Language Ideology. In Language and Canadian Media, ► pp. 59 ff.
Zethsen, Karen Korning
2008. Beyond Translation Proper—Extending the Field of Translation Studies. TTR 20:1 ► pp. 281 ff.
Zethsen, Karen Korning
2010. Intralingual Translation: An Attempt at Description. Meta 54:4 ► pp. 795 ff.
Zethsen, Karen Korning & Vicent Montalt
2022. Translating Medical Texts. In The Cambridge Handbook of Translation, ► pp. 363 ff.
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