Volume 24, Issue 4 - Writing for Lay Audiences
Gained in Translation
Authors: Laura C. Collada Ali, Lorenzo Gallego Borghini
Editorial
Welcome to the Translation Section editorial!
What we call ‘lay-friendliness’ is a key characteristic of Patient Information Sheets (PIS), which are tightly regulated on a European level to guarantee a comprehensible document that contains usable information for patients. It is clear that we, as translators, need to make an effort to improve language access as a means of empowering patients in decision-making about their own care. Strategies to support patients play an important role in understanding the causes of illness, protecting their health, and taking appropriate action. Yet, professional translators often primarily focus on the faithfulness of the translation to the original document rather than on the comprehensibility of the translated version, forgetting that often messages that work well with one language-speaking audience may not work for audiences who speak another language.
In the following article, Lorenzo Gallego Borghini gives an overview of lay-friendliness of PIS translations in Spain. Enjoy the article!
Laura C. Collada Ali
Download the full article
References
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- Centro Coordinador de CEIC, Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad. Hoja de información al paciente. Available from: http://www.msssi.gob.es/profesionales/farmacia/ceic/pdf/hojaInfoPaciente.pdf
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