{"id":3792,"date":"2021-06-15T22:08:05","date_gmt":"2021-06-15T22:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lauraramostranslations.com\/?p=3792"},"modified":"2021-07-08T22:18:19","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T22:18:19","slug":"prioridades-eticas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lauraramostranslations.com\/es\/prioridades-eticas\/","title":{"rendered":"Unraveling acronyms in medical translation"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know that an acronym is a word (or abbreviation) formed by the first letters or syllables of other words. Most acronyms are expressed in uppercase letters, although that is not always the case: <\/span>All\u00ed,<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>laser<\/span><\/i> are so well known to us that they have become accepted as words in their own right.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the medical field there are many, oh so many, acronyms. Some of them are common, and some not so common. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to know the context in which they are used, because they may be spelled identically, but mean quite different things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some medical acronyms I\u2019m sure you are familiar with:<\/span><\/p>\n

AMA: Against medical advice
\n<\/span>CAT: Computerized axial tomography
\n<\/span>COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
\n<\/span>MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take the acronym MRI. Most of us know the meaning I just mentioned, but did you know that it may also stand for \u201cMedical Research Institute\u201d or \u201cMedical records information\u201d? As many common acronyms can be misinterpreted, context is everything in our field. I\u2019m sure you already know that!<\/span><\/p>\n

We face a similar challenge in Spanish, take CEA for instance. Do you know what it stands for? Let me throw in a few suggestions:<\/span><\/p>\n

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I bet you didn\u2019t expect such a list. Cosnautas has a growing list of medical acronyms and their possible meanings! It includes the country in which they are used and, in some cases, their equivalent in English. You can check it out here: http:\/\/www.cosnautas.com\/es\/siglas. This is a great resource for us translators as it saves us a lot of time in research and it\u2019s a highly reliable source. If you were not yet aware that this wonderful tool existed, I hope you will start using it in your next assignment!<\/span><\/p>\n

Deciphering acronyms is one of the most time-consuming part of the translation process. Here are some other strategies you may use:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n