Lost in Translation: Medical Translation between the United States and Japan

Abstract

In the still-developing global medical community of the 21st century, the need for translation is rapidly becoming a prominent field. Therefore, I oriented my thesis around this task. After a semester of work on an English-Japanese medical translation, a Japanese medical translator informed me my work was difficult to comprehend. Curiosity drove me to determine what I could do to pursue a more successful translation in the future. This report begins with an analysis of the medical evolution of America and Japan and a comparison of the two medical histories. It explains the current medical culture in both nations with an example of how one medical case is perceived differently by doctors from each country. Through an analysis of translation, it concludes that translation is only possible into one’s native language, and that one must have a background in translation to attempt the task. It integrates the above aspects to express the explicit difficulties of medical translation, acknowledging that a translator must not only understand the languages but the cultures of each country to achieve a working translation. Finally, it explains that through research, practice, and translation only into English, I can accomplish successful translations in the future.