Translating Medical Terms from English to Telugu: A Case Study

Translation is a difficult process, even though; the translator was well-versed in both the languages (source and target) in the context of sciences, medicine, fine arts and technical terminology. Medical terminology is different from common terminology as it has specific vocabulary. These medical terminologies also discourage the beginner translators or the students. The first impact of the long, unfamiliar words is decidedly depressing. A French essayist of the 16th Century made the apt remark that "the language of medicine is an idiom foreign to the general speech and of discordant sound". The same criticism could be very well applied to present day medical language, which sounds just as discordant to the uninitiated the work of translating the medical terms. In this regard, medical translation is also a unique work for the translator as well as the students. Though the translation of medical terms is difficult, it is interesting and a rich area for translation studies. The present study focuses on medical terminology and issues regarding the translation of medical terms from English to local language, Telugu in the particular.