ATA Medical and Scientific Translation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary challenge when translating medical informed consent forms?
- Ensuring the translation uses technical medical jargon throughout
- Balancing medical accuracy with patient comprehension at an appropriate reading level (Correct answer)
- Translating drug names into generic equivalents
- Converting all measurement units to the metric system
Correct answer: Balancing medical accuracy with patient comprehension at an appropriate reading level
Informed consent forms must be medically accurate yet comprehensible to non-specialist patients, typically written at a 6th–8th grade reading level.
Question 2: Which reference is widely regarded as the most authoritative source for standardized medical terminology used by healthcare professionals and translators?
- Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary
- Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary (Correct answer)
- ICD-10-CM Coding Manual
- PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference)
Correct answer: Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary is widely regarded as the definitive reference for medical terminology used by healthcare professionals and translators.
Question 3: When translating International Nonproprietary Names (INN) of pharmaceutical drugs, what is the correct approach?
- Always translate the INN into an equivalent term in the target language
- Keep the INN in its original internationally standardized form (Correct answer)
- Replace the INN with the dominant brand name in the target country
- Use the chemical formula instead of the name for precision
Correct answer: Keep the INN in its original internationally standardized form
INNs are internationally standardized drug names established by the WHO and should be kept in their original form regardless of target language.
Question 4: What does the Latin abbreviation 'q.d.' mean in a medical prescription context?
- Every hour
- Every other day
- Once daily (Correct answer)
- Four times daily
Correct answer: Once daily
'q.d.' is derived from the Latin 'quaque die,' meaning every day or once daily.
Question 5: Which type of medical document carries the highest regulatory scrutiny in translation, requiring certified accuracy?
- Patient discharge summaries
- Clinical trial protocols and regulatory submissions (Correct answer)
- Hospital intake forms
- Internal staff training materials
Correct answer: Clinical trial protocols and regulatory submissions
Clinical trial protocols and regulatory submissions (such as those submitted to the FDA) undergo rigorous review and require certified translation with the highest accuracy standards.
Question 6: What is the recommended approach when a medical term has no established equivalent in the target language?
- Leave the term untranslated in all cases
- Coin a neologism following established morphological patterns and add an explanatory note (Correct answer)
- Replace it with a general lay term to ensure comprehension
- Omit the term from the translation entirely
Correct answer: Coin a neologism following established morphological patterns and add an explanatory note
When no established equivalent exists, translators may create a neologism following established word-formation patterns while adding a footnote or parenthetical explanation for clarity.
Question 7: For scientific documents prepared for a US audience, how should SI metric units generally be handled?
- Convert all metric units to US customary units exclusively
- Keep all units in SI metric form exactly as in the source
- Include both SI units and US customary equivalents in parentheses where relevant (Correct answer)
- Use whichever unit system the source document uses without modification
Correct answer: Include both SI units and US customary equivalents in parentheses where relevant
For US scientific or clinical audiences, best practice often involves providing both the SI metric value and a US customary equivalent to serve readers unfamiliar with one system.
ATA Medical and Scientific Translation 1
What is the primary challenge when translating medical informed consent forms?