Page 12 - e-Expert Seminar Series: Training the Experts in Medical Translation

Training the Experts in Medical Translation
Teaching Medical and Health Translation: Core Principles and New Drivers of Change
Vicent Montalt (Jaume I University, Spain)
BIODATA
Vicent Montalt is an Associate Professor at Jaume I University and Director of the Master’s Degree in Medical and Health Translation (member of the EMT network). He has been a Visiting Lecturer at UCL since 2008. His current research areas include medical and health translation, clinical communication in multilingual and multicultural settings, and translational medical humanities. As a member of the research group GENTT, Vicent has worked on 12 funded research projects since 2000. He has also been Principal Investigator in two three-year research projects funded by the Spanish Government. Some of his recent publications include ‘Medical Humanities and Translation’, in The Routledge Handbook of Translation and Health (edited by Susam-Saraeva and Spišiaková in 2021), and ‘Ethical Considerations in the Translation of Health Genres in Crisis Communication’, in Translating Crisis (edited by Federici and O’Brien in 2022). Vicent is currently co- authoring Patient-Centred Writing and Translation (Routledge).
ABSTRACT
Medical and health translation is a vital professional activity in contemporary societies. It is also an academic field dedicated to the education and training of future professionals, as well as a fertile area of research. This chapter discusses some of the fundamental principles that can guide specialist education and teacher training. It explores new scenarios that are driving relevant changes in the field. I give an overview of the main aspects that characterise medical and health translation to then focus on those which are specific to this type of translation, with special emphasis on medical ethics. I expound on the usefulness of combining genre-based and content-based approaches with a multimodal component. Finally, I address current social and technological developments that may trigger changes in both the profession and social practices involved, thereby impacting the agendas of universities.
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