Contemporary linguistics defines specialized languages as subsystems of general language, possessing specific characteristics. When compared with other subsystems, medical language appears to be particularly rich in terms, and is known for its formal and semantic richness. If we consider how medical language and general language function, it seems that both are based on the same principles; however, it seems necessary to emphasise several distinct characteristics as far as the frequency and productivity of several instruments employed by both systems are concerned. When considering formal means, what is worth emphasizing is the number of eponyms, while as far as semantic means are concerned, it is metaphor that plays an exceptional role. Through the description of both these linguistic phenomena, the article presents the problems they pose in the process of translation.