Challenges in English-Arabic Translation of Medical Documents: The Case of a Certified Translator in Oman.

Abstract:

The present study aimed to identify the most common challenges encountered by a certified translator in Oman in translating medical reports and to propose remedies for these challenges. The researcher collected archival data from the English medical reports which he himself had translated as a certified translator in the Sultanate of Oman. The researcher examined and analyzed 50 English medical reports and was able to identify common categories of challenges which he himself encountered while translating those reports into Arabic. After carefully examining and analyzing the data, the researcher identified seven major categories to which the challenges he encountered belonged. Those were shorthand, abbreviations, factual errors, spelling mistakes, grammatical mistakes, fragments (incomplete sentences) and inconsistency. These categories represent the findings of this study. The researcher suggested some ways to overcome those challenges and recommended carrying out more studies on the challenges of medical translation to enrich this relatively new field.