Translating Medical Terms from English into Arabic:

Abstract

This study explores the challenges and strategies involved in translating english medical terminology into Arabic. It investigates the linguistic, morphological, and cultural complexities that translators face due to structural differences between English and Arabic, particularly with terms derived from Latin and Greek. The research examines translation methods such as borrowing, calque, literal, adaptive, and communicative techniques, highlighting their benefits and limitations. Additionally, it evaluates the role of key institutions like ALECSO and the Arab Medical Union in standardizing Arabic medical vocabulary and promoting terminological consistency. Through a carefully designed bilingual corpus of approximately 500 terms, including COVID-19-related vocabulary, the study analyzes practical translation scenarios, assessing accuracy, clarity, and cultural relevance. Dictionaries such as the Unified Medical Dictionary, Arabterm, and Almaany are also reviewed for their reliability and terminological coherence. Findings reveal that inconsistent terminology across sources, regional variations, and lack of unified standards significantly affect translation quality. The study concludes that translators must adopt a context-sensitive, audience-aware approach to ensure clarity and precision in medical communication. It emphasizes the need for improved institutional collaboration and updated terminology databases to enhance the quality and reliability of medical translations in Arabic-speaking healthcare environments.