Ways to translate medical terms into Chinese

Fen Ven' ORCID: 0000-0002-5206-9822 Postgraduate student, Department of General and Russian Linguistics, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 15k1, sq. 80a 1042228133@pfur.ru Other publications by this author

Recently, due to the coronavirus pandemic that has rocked the world, cooperation between countries in the field of medicine has begun to strengthen, as a result of which more and more borrowings from other languages, in particular English, appear every year in the advertising of medicines in China. In this regard, for the creators of advertising, the question of the correct translation of drug names arose, which should not only accurately reflect the effect of the drug, but also produce an effect on the buyer to increase sales ^{[7, p. 268]}.

The novelty of the article lies in the fact that until now this theory has not been widely used in translating the names of medicines into Chinese. Based on the study, five ways of translating the names of medicines in advertising were put forward. The relevance is due to the expansion of international contacts, including cooperation and trade in the field of medicine, which requires the correct presentation of medicines and services in advertising texts.

1. The theory of translation equivalence

It is believed that the term "equivalent" in translation studies was first used by R. Jacobson in the article "On linguistic aspects of translation" (1959). In 1990, the famous Soviet linguist V.N. Komissarov in the book "Theory of Translation (linguistic aspects)" formulated the theory of equivalence levels, according to which, in the process of translation, equivalence relations are established between the corresponding levels of the original and the translation. V.N. Komissarov in his book "Modern Translation Studies" defines translation: "Translation is complex and a multifaceted process in which not only one language is replaced by another, but also different cultures, different personalities, different ways of thinking, different traditions and attitudes collide" ^{[2, p. 30]}. V.N. Komissarov introduced the following five levels of equivalence:

Table 1. Five levels of equivalence of V.N. Komissarov

Translation studies in China also have a long history. Since ancient times, Chinese translators have been researching the essence of translation and the criteria for its evaluation. Well–known linguist Luo Xinzhang believes that the development of translation theory in China is mainly the gradual development of four concepts, such as orientation to the source text, the pursuit of fidelity, similarity in spirit and sublimation. but these four concepts are mainly considered from the point of view of translation of literary texts. When translating other types of text within the framework of this concept, there are great limitations ^{[4, p. 25]}. Thus, taking into account the peculiarities of medical terminology, the author does not use the traditional Chinese theory of translation as a basis, but chooses V.N. Komissarov's translation equivalence.

2. Typology of medical terms used in China.

The medical manipulations that we are familiar with now came from ancient Greece. In this regard, the use of European medical terms has led to the unification of the medical language in China ^{[1, p. 3]}. Research has shown that medical concepts used in Chinese can be divided into five types: terms related to physiology, disease, its clinical manifestations and symptoms, medical methods, as well as medicines ^{[6, p. 91]}. This article will explore ways to translate drug names.

Table 2. Groups of medical terms in Chinese

3. Ways to translate the names of medicines

N.V. Perfilieva and Hu Peipei in the article "Methods of assimilation of English loanwords into Chinese" write that when translating loanwords, 4 translation methods are used: phonetic, semantic, mixed and graphical methods ^{[3, p. 289]}. All these methods have not been described in the field of medical terminology. Thus, in order to expand the scope of these methods, the author used them in medical terminology. Taking into account the peculiarities of the material under consideration, the author used only three of these methods in this work and added two new ones. The purpose of translating the names of medical products from English into Chinese is so that Chinese consumers can understand the functions of the product offered to them. Translation should perform communicative and motivational functions ^{[10, p. 39]}. In this article, the greatest attention is paid to the consideration of equivalence at the level of the purpose of communication and at the level of the description of the situation. To achieve these levels of equivalence, the translator must take into account the differences in the names of medicines in different languages and make changes according to cultural characteristics. When working on this study, the following methods were used: transcription, mixed method (transcription and semantic method), semantic method, semantic method with addition of meanings and semantic method with abbreviations.

3.1 Transcription

During the analysis of the material, it was revealed that two methods are most often used to translate the names of medicines into Chinese: transcription and a mixed method (including transcription and semantic method). The essence of the transcription method lies in the fact that Chinese characters are used in translation, the pronunciation of which fully or partially coincides with the sound of the borrowed unit. When using this method, Chinese characters convey only a sound similarity, losing their original meaning.

Let's look at some examples:

Table 3. Translation of names of medicines into Chinese by transcription method

The percentage of using the transcription method for translating medicines in the collected material (70 words) is 26% (19 units).

3.2 The mixed method

The mixed method is also often used when translating the names of medicines. It allows readers to better understand the function of each drug. When using a mixed method, the name of the drug in the target language not only retains its original sound, but also contains information about the effectiveness of the product.

Let's look at some examples:

Table 4. Translation of names of medicines into Chinese in a mixed way

Let's analyze one of the examples given:

The Aprovel specializes in the treatment of high blood pressure (a [anbowei] from the Latin aprovel). Let's analyze the meaning of each hieroglyph.- 'to calm down, to calm down';? 'pulse'; ? 'protect'. The name of this drug, translated into Chinese, literally means maintaining the stability of the pulse rate. This translation option not only corresponds to the theory of translation equivalence, but also allows consumers to draw a conclusion about the properties of the offered product.

We will help you get back to a healthy and comfortable sleep. [limianning] from Latin Librium. Let's consider the meaning of each hieroglyph. ? 'benefit'; ? 'sleep';? 'peace'. In Chinese, this name literally means useful for sleep.

The percentage of using the mixed method for the translation of medicines in the collected material (70 words) is 22% (15 units).

3.3 The semantic method

To achieve equivalence at the level of the communication goal, it is necessary to use a semantic method. This method can not only inform consumers about the therapeutic effect of the drug, but also emphasize its advantages, which can also contribute to an increase in sales.

Table 5. Translation of medical terms into Chinese in a semantic way

Let's analyze one of the examples:

Benactisin — To treat serious stomach problems, relieve pain and cure pain. [weifukang] 'Benactyzin' from the Latin Benactyzine. If you translate the name of this drug using the transcription method, you get [bennaxin] 'Benaktisin'.However, this version of the name will not be clear to the Chinese consumer, as it does not achieve equivalence at the communication level. Therefore, when working with the name of this drug, it would be more appropriate to use a semantic method that will reflect its properties in the name of the drug. Let's analyze the meaning of each character: ? 'yellow';? 'restoration'; ? 'health'. Translated into Chinese, this combination literally means restoring the health of the stomach.

The percentage of using the semantic method for translating medicines in the collected material (70 words) is 22% (15 units).

3.4 Translating the names of medicines into Chinese using a semantic method.

3.4.1 Semantic method with addition of values

This method consists of adding and explaining missing or ambiguous parts of the source text. Since Chinese and English belong to two different language families, there are huge differences in their vocabulary and syntax. Therefore, taking into account the influence of factors such as language habits, features of expression and the meaning of the original text in the target language, the most effective method will be the use of semantic methods with additions of meaning and abbreviations to compensate for difficulties in understanding ^{[9, p. 113]}.

Within the framework of this method, additional explanations are introduced to facilitate consumers' understanding of some aspects of the original text during translation ^{[8, p. 51]}.

Table 6. Translation of names of medicines into Chinese using the semantic method with the addition of meanings

Let's analyze one of the above examples:

—! Patients with Parkinson's disease just need – Sinemet SR [ [xiningkongshipian] 'Sinemet SR' from the English word 'Sinemet CR'. Sinemet – [xining] 'Cinemet', CR is an abbreviated name for 'complete response'. Let's analyze the meaning of each hieroglyph: ? 'calm down'; ? 'peace'; 'full answer'; ? 'pill'. To facilitate the understanding of the properties of the drug, a semantic method with the addition of meanings was used in translation.

The percentage of using the semantic method for translating medicines with the addition of meanings in the collected material (70 words) is 13% (9 units).

3.4.2 Semantic method with abbreviations

The semantic method with abbreviations is to remove complex, repetitive or unimportant content from the source text ^{[5, p. 61]}.

Table 7. Translation of names of medicines into Chinese using a semantic method with abbreviations

Let's analyze the above example:

3% hydrogen peroxide is an indispensable means for cleaning wounds. Lierkang (brand of this drug) 3% hydrogen peroxide is an indispensable means for cleaning wounds. [shuangyagnshui] 'hydrogen peroxide' is from the English word Xydrogen permanganate. When using the semantic method, the name of the drug could be: '' (An aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide). It is too long for the Chinese consumer and too difficult to remember. As a result, when translating the name of this drug, a semantic method with an abbreviation is used. It is worth noting that this method is usually used in cases where the original name contains the chemical composition of the drug.

The percentage of using the semantic method for translating medical preparations with an abbreviation in the collected material (70 words) is 17% (12 units).

Thus, in order to achieve translation equivalence, several translation methods have been proposed in accordance with V.N. Komissarov's theory. It is worth noting that the choice of translation strategies and methods should be based on the set goal. When translating medical terms from foreign languages into Chinese, transcription remains the most frequent method, which accounts for 26% of all collected materials. At the same time, the percentage of use of semantic and mixed methods (which include transcription and semantic method) He is also tall. The above three methods contribute to the most accurate transmission of the meaning of words borrowed from other languages, and also lead to the achievement of a pragmatic effect. The percentage of the prevalence of using the semantic method with the addition of meanings (13%) and abbreviations is significantly lower (17%), since the Chinese language has its own type of writing, which limits the ability to more accurately convey and interpret information.