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Abstract

With the growing availability of scientific information and the increasing need to share knowledge reliably and efficiently in an ever-changing research landscape, this paper sought to shed light on the translation process and product of Chinese-English biomedical abstracts, using the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as a case study. A parallel corpus was built using 254 scientific abstracts pertaining to COVID-19 to facilitate the quantitative and qualitative analyses of translation universals in published abstracts. The findings pointed to a tendency towards simplification through fragmentation and substitution, as well as explicitation through the use of connectives, glosses and descriptive equivalents. As abstracts play an undeniably important role as paratext, the paper also discusses how such translation strategies have contributed to the purpose of scientific abstracts in informing and drawing the attention of readers to the significance of the research. The study also explores the challenges and opportunities in biomedical translation, with the objective of facilitating scientific communication among different linguistic communities against the backdrop of rapidly evolving medical science. Apart from transcending language and cultural barriers, scientific translation also requires the bridging of a knowledge divide between specialists and the average reader. By understanding the current gaps and addressing the needs in biomedical translation, this paper will contribute to both translation studies and translator training in the field of biomedical science, with the ultimate goal of promoting shared scientific progress through accessible, trustworthy and engaging information made available by effective translation practices. 

Course: Translation Studies - MA/PGD - C0680

Date Deposited: 2024-02-06

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14369.html