The ABCs of Medical Translation: Strategies to Identify, Translate and Manage Acronyms and Abbreviations

Abbreviations, acronyms and the quasi-legible scribbles of doctors are the medical translator's daily bread; however, deciphering and researching these words, as well as maintaining terminology databases, can lead to productivity black holes. This presentation will provide a variety of resources and strategies for managing the translation of these troublesome three- and four-letter words more effectively. It will also address related issues, such as handling texts with interwoven English and non-English acronyms and abbreviations and the appropriate use of Latin- and Greek-derived medical jargon.

Translators already specialising in medical translation.
Translators considering crossing over into medical translation.
Translators who want to become more efficient at managing medical terminology.

At the end of this session, participants will be able:

To identify, expand and break down medical acronyms and abbreviations.

To identify appropriate resources to translate medical acronyms and abbreviations.

To adopt specific "don't panic" translation strategies to methodologically handle these tricky terms.

No prerequisites.

- Inherent problems with medical acronyms and abbreviations
- Terminology shift between languages and locales
- When to retain English in foreign texts
- Common symbols, shorthand and designations
- Translation strategies
- Terminology resources

To purchase your seat at this session please click on the "buy" button. Available slots are limited and will be assigned to registered and paid participants as soon as payment is reported. Early payment is advised in order to secure participation. Allow some time for payment processing if you are paying by wire transfer.

After your payment is received, your status will be changed to “registered and paid” and your spot for the session will be secured. An invoice and receipt of payment will be sent to you for your records.

How do I access the online platform?

72 hours before the webinar takes place, you will receive an invitation to join the session. Please, click the registration link or button provided in the invitation email and complete the registration form.

Important: Those that purchase a seat in advance may be able to pay an "early bird" or cheaper price, and those that confirm participation later or last minute, may likely get to pay a higher fee. In some training sessions a price increase based on the number of registrants may also apply, i.e. the first 15 registered pay one price, the next 10 pay a a slightly higher price etc.

Early payment is advised in order to secure participation and help reach the course minimum participation - unfortunately, courses may occasionally be cancelled or rescheduled, if the confirmed participation in advance is very low.

For PC-based Users:

• Required: Windows® 8, 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
• Required: Internet Explorer® 7.0 or newer, Mozilla® Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
• Recommended: Dual-core 2.4GHz CPU or faster with 2GB of RAM (recommended)

For Mac®-based Users:

• Required: OS X 10.7 Lion, 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks and 10.10 Yosemite
• Required: Safari™ 3.0 or newer, Firefox® 3.0 or newer or Google™ Chrome™ 5.0 or newer (JavaScript™ and Java™ enabled)
• Internet Connection Required: Cable modem, DSL, or better Internet connection
• Required: Intel processor (1GB of RAM or better recommended)

To Use VoIP (microphone and speakers or headset):

• Required: Fast Internet connection (384 kbps or more recommended)
• Required: speakers or headset (USB headset recommended)
• NOT required: Microphone - attendees can communicate with the trainer through incorporated chat.

Recommendations

• For the visual section of the training course, we recommend that you have a 64kbps link. This means using an ISDN line or Broadband. Wireless connection is NOT recommended.
• For the audio section of the training course, we recommend that you have a headset or speakers.
• We recommend that you log in 30 minutes in advance of the start time to prepare for the training course.

Courses will be open half an hour before the start time. Please login before the start time to ensure that everything on your system is working correctly.

 Erin Lyons    View feedback | View all courses

Bio: Erin M. Lyons is a full-time French to English and Italian to English translator, medical writer, and consultant and the Owner and President of BiomedNouvelle. Her primary areas of focus include clinical research, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetic products and she has split her professional career between Europe and the U.S. She has a BA in Romance Languages and Literature from the University of Chicago and an MA in Italian and French Translation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She has presented at several ATA Annual Conferences, as well as at the 2011 World Congress of the International Federation of Translators and the 2013 ProZ.com International Conference (Porto) and 6th Annual Congress and Training in France (Biarritz).