Author's name:Nguyen Thi Hoai
Thesis title:Researching medical terms in English and how to translate them into Vietnamese.
The field of study for this dissertation:Linguistics
SpecializedComparative LinguisticsCode:62 22 02 41
Name of the postgraduate training institution:University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
1. Purpose and scope of the thesis
This study examines medical terminology in English to identify its structural and identifying characteristics, and to find similarities and differences compared to medical terminology in Vietnamese. From there, it investigates how to translate medical terminology from English to Vietnamese, and proposes solutions for revising and standardizing Vietnamese medical terminology. The research contributes to improving the quality of teaching, learning, and research in specialized medical English, and helps researchers use more accurate terminology in translation and compilation of medical literature.
The research and survey subject of the thesis is 1949 English disease terminology units and their Vietnamese equivalents extracted from the dictionary "English - French - Russian - Latin - Japanese - Vietnamese Medicine" by IA. Sokolov and Truong Cam Bao (2001).
2. Research methods used
- Method of direct component analysis.
- Semantic analysis method.
- Descriptive and comparative methods.
- The counter-infection method.
3. Main results and conclusions
3.1. Main results
Structurally, medical terms consist of two types: words and phrases. However, due to differences in linguistic types, the proportion of words and phrases differs significantly between English and Vietnamese. Of the 1949 terminological units surveyed, the results showed that in English, 1341 (68.80%) were words and 608 (31.20%) were phrases, while in Vietnamese, only 115 (5.90%) were words and 1089 (94.10%) were phrases.
Regarding structural models, through surveying and analyzing 1949 terminological units, the thesis found that English has 8 structural models and Vietnamese has 11 structural models. In both languages, disease terminology shares the characteristic of tending to be concise, with two-component terms accounting for the largest proportion, and decreasing for three- and four-component terms.
In terms of identifying characteristics, the term referring to a disease is fundamentally divided into two semantic content categories: disease characteristics and human physical characteristics. Disease characteristics include five semantic fields: disease state, color disorder, quantity, duration, and location. Human physical characteristics are divided into 18 semantic fields based on anatomical features of the human body.
Regarding translation, structurally, English medical terms, which consist of words and phrases, also yield Vietnamese translations of words and phrases; however, the ratio between them is significantly different.
Regarding the degree of equivalence in translation, the thesis found 4 levels of equivalence. That is, an English medical term can have from 1 to 4 equivalents in Vietnamese. Of these, 1:1 equivalence accounts for the majority (85.12%).
For medical terms that are abbreviations in English, translation into Vietnamese is mainly done by retaining the original form or simply copying it.
3.2. Conclusion
In English, medical terminology in general, and disease terminology in particular, is a special vocabulary with a structure different from ordinary words, primarily of Greek and Latin origin. Studying this vocabulary requires learning it as a new language, posing a challenge for teachers, learners, and researchers of medical English. However, through in-depth research, this thesis has identified the unique structural rules and naming conventions of this group of disease terms, thereby finding a way to translate them from English to Vietnamese to select the best equivalent terms, contributing to the standardization of Vietnamese medical terminology.
SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS
Author's name: NGUYEN THI HOAI
Thesis title:Pathodological terminology in English and the translation into Vietnamese
Scientific branch of thesis:Linguistics
Major:Contrastive - comparative LinguisticsCode:62 22 02 41
Name of post graduate training institution:University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi National University
1. Thesis purpose and objectives
1.1. Research purposes
This thesis on English pathology terminology aims at finding out the characteristics of formation and nomination of this terminology and similarities and differences from the Vietnamese pathology terminology. From there, the thesis has studied the translation of the English-Vietnamese pathology terminology and introduced solutions to correct and standardize the Vietnamese pathology terminology. This research contributes to improving the quality of English language teaching, learning and research, and also helps researchers to use words more accurately in the translation and compilation of medical materials.
1.2. Research objectives
The objects of the thesis are 1949 units of English pathological terminology and Vietnamese equivalents from the “English-French-Russian-Latin-Japanese-Vietnamese Medical Dictionary” by IA Sokolov and Truong Cam Bao (2001).
2. Research methods
- Analysis of directly constructing elements
- Semantic analysis
Comparison and description
- Translation
3. Major resultsand conclusions
3.1. Major results
Structurally, the terminology of the disease consists only of two types, words and phrases, but due to differences in the type of language, there is a big difference in the term (being word or phrase) ratio between English and Vietnamese. Of the 1949 survey terms, the results were 1341 units (68.80%) being words and 608 (31.20%) units being phrases in English, while in Vietnamese only 115 units (5.90%) are words and 1089 are phrases (94.10%).
On the structural model, through the survey and analysis of 1949 terms, the thesis concludes 8 structural models in English and 11 in Vietnamese. In both languages, the disease-related terms all share the same tendency to be short, in which the two-component terms occupy the greatest proportion, and gradually decrease for three and four-component terms.
In terms of identifying nomination characteristics, the terminology is basically divided into two categories of semantic content, characteristics of diseases and of the human body. The characteristics of diseases is divided into five subcategories, including disease status and disorder in color, quantity, time and location. Human body characteristics are divided into 18 subcategories based on the anatomical characteristics of the human body.
In translation, in terms of structure, when translated into Vietnamese, English pathological terms as words and phrases result in words and phrases, but the ratio between them is very different.
In terms of equivalence in translation, there are four levels of equivalence, which means that an English pathological term can have up 1 to 4 equivalents in Vietnamese and 1:1 holds the majority (85.12%).
For acronyms, acronyms in English are translated into Vietnamese mainly by simulating or copying.
3.2. Conclusions
In English, medical terminology in general and pathological terminology in particular, are special vocabulary that is distinct from common language, mainly derived from Greek and Latin. When studying this vocabulary, we have to learn it as a new language, a challenge for people teaching, learning and researching medical English. However, while reseaching in depth, the thesis found out specific rules of composition and identity of pathological terminology. From this finding, we will find better ways to translate pathological terms from English into Vietnamese, contributing to the standardization of Vietnamese pathological terminology.
Author:ussh
Newer news
Older news
