ATA ATA Specialized Translation Domains 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which terminology resources are most commonly used as references in medical translation into English?
- The ATA Medical Division's proprietary glossary
- Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from the National Library of Medicine and other peer-reviewed medical resources (Correct answer)
- The Oxford English Dictionary exclusively
- The WHO International Classification of Diseases is the only acceptable reference
Correct answer: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) from the National Library of Medicine and other peer-reviewed medical resources
Medical translators rely on authoritative resources such as NLM's MeSH, clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed journals, and pharmacopoeias to ensure terminological accuracy.
Medical translation requires precise, authoritative terminology. Translators working into English commonly consult the National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), medical dictionaries such as Dorland's or Stedman's, drug databases like the USP or British Pharmacopoeia, clinical guidelines from professional medical associations, and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Question 2: What is a 'sworn translation' and in which countries is it commonly required?
- A sworn translation is any translation certified by the ATA
- A sworn translation is one officially certified by a government-authorized or court-appointed translator, required in many civil law countries (Correct answer)
- A sworn translation is a translation accompanied by a translator's affidavit used only in the US
- A sworn translation is a translation reviewed by at least two ATA-certified translators
Correct answer: A sworn translation is one officially certified by a government-authorized or court-appointed translator, required in many civil law countries
Sworn translation is a legal institution in many civil law countries where authorized translators are appointed by courts or government to certify official document translations.
In many civil law countries -- including Spain, France, Germany, and Brazil -- the concept of 'sworn translator' designates a government-appointed or court-authorized translator whose certified translations have official legal standing. This institution does not exist in the same form in common law countries like the US and UK, where any translator may certify a translation with a signed statement of accuracy.
Question 3: In legal translation, what is the significance of maintaining formal equivalence in contract translation?
- Formal equivalence is always the wrong approach in legal translation
- Legal contracts must convey precise obligations and rights; terms must be rendered with their correct legal function, not just their surface meaning (Correct answer)
- Formal equivalence means translating each word individually without considering context
- Formal equivalence is required only for court-filed documents
Correct answer: Legal contracts must convey precise obligations and rights; terms must be rendered with their correct legal function, not just their surface meaning
In legal translation, precision is paramount -- terms must be rendered with their correct legal function because imprecise translation can change the legal meaning and enforceability of a contract.
Legal translation must be accurate enough to preserve legal effect while also being idiomatic in the target legal system. Legal terms have technical meanings that differ from their everyday usage. For example, translating a civil law concept like 'pacte commissoire' requires finding the functionally equivalent English legal concept, not just a literal word-for-word rendering.
Question 4: What challenge arises when translating legal documents between legal systems based on different legal traditions?
- No significant challenges exist because legal terminology is universal
- Concepts that exist in one legal system may have no direct equivalent in the other, requiring functional description or explanatory translation (Correct answer)
- The translator must qualify as a licensed attorney in both jurisdictions
- Legal translation between different legal traditions is prohibited by ATA rules
Correct answer: Concepts that exist in one legal system may have no direct equivalent in the other, requiring functional description or explanatory translation
Common law and civil law concepts often do not correspond directly; translators must find functional equivalents or descriptive translations rather than false cognates that sound equivalent but have different legal meanings.
Common law (used in the US, UK, and former British colonies) and civil law (used in most of continental Europe, Latin America, and others) are fundamentally different legal systems with distinct concepts, institutions, and procedures. A concept like 'trust,' central to common law, has no direct civil law equivalent. Translators must understand both legal systems well enough to either find functional equivalents, explain concepts in parenthetical notes, or retain source-language terms when no adequate equivalent exists.
Question 5: Why must financial translators understand the accounting standards applicable to both the source and target markets?
- Because accounting standards determine the translator's billing rate
- Because financial terminology and reporting concepts differ between standards such as IFRS and US GAAP, and mistranslation can create serious misunderstandings for investors and regulators (Correct answer)
- Because financial documents require ATA certification to translate
- Because financial translation is only done in-house by bank employees
Correct answer: Because financial terminology and reporting concepts differ between standards such as IFRS and US GAAP, and mistranslation can create serious misunderstandings for investors and regulators
Different accounting standards (IFRS vs. US GAAP) use different terminology and concepts; a translator must understand both to render financial reports accurately and meaningfully.
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) are the two major accounting frameworks used globally. They differ in terminology, measurement rules, and disclosure requirements. A financial translator who conflates IFRS and GAAP terminology can create misleading financial statements with serious consequences for investors, regulators, and the companies involved.
Question 6: What does patent translation require beyond general technical translation skills?
- Patent translation requires only legal translation skills, not technical knowledge
- Patent translators need both technical domain knowledge and familiarity with patent claim language conventions, which follow highly formalized structures (Correct answer)
- Patent translation is restricted to translators with engineering degrees
- Patent translation does not require any special skills beyond bilingual fluency
Correct answer: Patent translators need both technical domain knowledge and familiarity with patent claim language conventions, which follow highly formalized structures
Patent documents use a highly formalized, precise language for claims that defines the scope of intellectual property protection; translators must render this precisely to avoid inadvertently narrowing or broadening the protected scope.
Patent translation sits at the intersection of technical and legal translation. Patents contain multiple distinct sections including abstract, description, drawings, and -- most critically -- claims. Patent claims use a highly formalized language that precisely defines the boundaries of intellectual property protection. Translating claims inaccurately can inadvertently expand or narrow the scope of protection, with significant legal and commercial consequences.
ATA ATA Specialized Translation Domains 1
Which terminology resources are most commonly used as references in medical translation into English?