Functional medicine in Turkish: The making of a culture repertoire through translation agency and health activism

The relationship between translation and health extends beyond simply translating health-related texts or community interpreting. As health services increasingly focus on patient-centered care, which emphasizes patient prioritization, responsibility, and empowerment, the significance of this relationship grows. An example that reflects this shift from a disease-centered to a patient-centered model in medicine over the years is functional medicine, a holistic approach developed in the 1990s in America. Functional medicine seeks to identify and address the root causes of diseases, focusing on systemic solutions rather than merely treating symptoms. This study explores how the functional medicine approach, with its emphasis on holistic patient care and empowerment, has been introduced into and disseminates across Türkiye through translation. It examines how functional medicine has been communicated and evolved through various channels such as books, newspapers, social media, and conferences featuring international doctors. Furthermore, the study involves interviews with two agents of translation in the Turkish functional medicine community: a health activist and a medical doctor who both engage in volunteer translation and interpreting in this field. By analyzing these interviews, as well as examples of translations and interpretations shared on social media and in public meetings, this research aims to illuminate the role of translation in the Turkish health context. It seeks to demonstrate how translation contributes to patient empowerment, health activism, and health literacy in Türkiye.