Scientific translation is one of the most prolific and well-known specialties within the language services industry. This area encompasses all fields of technical knowledge obtained through observation and reasoning, and thus leads to a multitude of disciplines that focus on each of these areas of expertise and, of course, can serve the greater public. Scientific translation is currently one of the sector’s most highly demanded services and in the current landscape, innovation and scientific discoveries are commonplace, with the need to localize this content on an international scale so that all communities can access the latest information and continue to progressively improve their standard of living. When scientific content is created, humankind can keep moving forward and logically understand everything in its surroundings. Therefore, internationalizing scientific knowledge entails promoting development and building a more promising future for the global community.
In particular, in the scope of scientific translation, the most highly demanded area of expertise relates to biomedical sciences. As the name suggests, this specialty broadly encompasses both medicine and biology and, in turn, it understands them in combination. In fact, today’s scientific landscape is characterized by scientific studies that analyze the behavior of biological processes and, if necessary, propose a solution through medicine. In this sense, there is a complex system that interconnects various agents (researchers, healthcare professionals, patients, developers, etc.), entities (pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, education centers, etc.) and needs (disease research, drug manufacture, training, etc.); and, naturally, this same system produces a large amount of textual and audiovisual material that should be shared among different cultures. This material includes documents for obtaining informed consent, specialized packaging and information leaflets, clinical trial protocols, patient instruction leaflets, results reported by patients, advertising and marketing materials, patents and other documents related to intellectual property, scientific articles, instructions for use, user guides, hospital discharge summaries, product labeling, documentation relating to scientific studies, virtual learning and a long list of documents that comprise the normal workload of agencies and specialized freelance translators in this sector.
Nevertheless, it is common to associate the translation of the so-called health sciences with how it relates to humans; in fact, a large portion of the previous examples fall almost entirely into this focus of study. But it is important to note that there is a significant scientific focus on non-human animals and veterinary medicine. Although the name of this discipline may be exclusionary, veterinary translation is not only intended for professionals in this area of medicine or disease that affects animals, but also for all those who interact with animals: medical professionals, pet owners, farmers, students, feed manufacturers, etc. That is why this market has an incredibly high volume of texts and the same needs for internationalization, since the knowledge and products related to animals, their systems and their well-being must reach all parts of the world. A common activity in this sector involves translating specialized journal articles, manuals for veterinarians, research on diseases, labeling of animal products, leaflets for employees in the livestock sector, etc. In fact, this sector covers a very wide range of documents and has a very broad target audience, which ranges from experts in veterinary medicine who require training and knowledge about the functioning of each species to people who have decided to adopt a pet and need to properly care for it. For this reason, in many cases a veterinary text must be adapted into different languages.
A translator of veterinary texts must be familiar with this area of expertise, different animal species and, of course, the fields included in this type of translation (animal diagnoses, nutrition, genetics, etc.). All of this entails knowing specific terminology in the highest register, as well as the unique jargon of certain sectors, such as the rural livestock sector or the animal husbandry sector for commercial purposes. Each one will have a number of specific documents that the translator must reproduce with the utmost accuracy and adapt to the target communicative situation. Therefore, the necessary translation tools must be available and the final product will be subjected to quality assurance processes that ensure that the content has been correctly translated. As in any technical translation, experience is an essential requirement for veterinary translators, and biomedical sciences is a highly sensitive discipline that has an impact on the quality of life of many living beings.
Because of this, the institutions, organizations and scientific centers dedicated to veterinary medicine or those whose work is related to animals must assess the positive aspects of conducting market research to determine the advantages of internationalizing their product, as well as how to do it together with agencies or freelance professionals who guarantee quality language services.
Ref. de la imagen: https://pithypants.com/2015/01/25/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-house/
