Statistics on the translation market consistently identify medicine as a
major thematic area as far as volume or translation is concerned. Vicent
Montalt and Maria Gonzalez Davis, both experienced translator trainers
at Spanish universities, explain the basics of medical translation and
ways of teaching and learning how to translate medical texts.
Medical Translation Step by Step provides a pedagogical approach to
medical translation based on learner and learning-centred teaching
tasks, revolving around interaction: pair and group work to carry out
the tasks and exercises to practice the points covered. These include
work on declarative and operative knowledge of both translation and
medical texts and favour an approach that takes into account both the
process and product of translations. Starting from a broad communication
framework, the book follows a top-down approach to medical translation:
communication → genres → texts → terms and other units of specialized
knowledge. It is positively focused in that it does not insist on error
analysis, but rather on ways of writing good translations and empowering
both students and teachers.
The text can be used as a course book for students in face-to-face
learning, but also in distance and mixed learning situations. It will
also be useful for teachers as a resource book, or a core book to be
complemented with other materials.
