The textual functionality of translated medical abstracts from Turkish into English

Medical translation has increasingly become a matter of interest for researchers worldwide. This growing interest can be attributed to the increasing demand for medical translation and the unmet need for educated and trained professional translators working in this field. In this interdisciplinary study, the role of translation of medical abstracts implicated in share of knowledge was investigated and the textual functionality of translated medical abstracts as a text type in the academic literary system was examined. A total of 44 English and Turkish original article and review abstracts were obtained from 12 Turkish medical journals indexed in the PubMed database, a specialized biomedical database and gateway for browsing information published in medical journals, between 2000 and 2015. From each journal, two abstracts were retrieved at two different time points. The textual functionality was assessed using a holistic approach at the text and process level. The results showed that translated abstracts were informative text types and harbored terminological equivalence and field knowledge. However, throughout the 15-year study period, major changes were observed for both text format and translation act and, in particular as of 2010, a special care was paid to abstract translation in accordance with the international norms and conventions of medical publishing. The increased number of citations after 2010 also indicated the role of functional translation on share of knowledge. In conclusion, abstracts are valuable tools for knowledge transfer and translation plays a key role in this transfer process in non-English speaking countries. It is recommended that translation of specialized texts should be performed by educated and trained professional translators who have research skills and competencies.