Wiseman evaluated in CHINESE JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED TRADITIONAL AND WESTERN MEDICINE

[Guest guest]

....and now for some semantics : )

 

Abstract from the CHINESE JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED TRADITIONAL AND WESTERN

MEDICINE 2005 Vol.25 No.11:

 

 

Comments on Nigel Wiseman's A Practical Dictionary of :

On the Use of Western Medical Terms in English Glossary of

XIE Zhu-fan, LIU Gan-zhong,LU Wei-bo, et at The First Clinical Medical

School,Peking University,Beijing(100034)

Abstract:

Mr.Wiseman believes that Western medical terms chosen as equivalents of

Chinese medical

terms should be the words known to all speakers and not requiring any

specialist knowledge or instrumentation to

understand or identify, and strictly technical Western medical terms should

be avoided regardless of their conceptual

conformity to the Chinese terms. According to such criteria, many

inappropriate Western medical terms are

selected as English equivalents by the authors of the Dictionary, and on the

other hand,many ready-made appropriate

Western medical terms are replaced by loan English terms with the Chinese

style of word formation.

The experience obtained by translating Western medical terms into Chinese

when Western medicine was first introduced

to China should be helpful for developing English equivalents at present.

However, the authors of the

Dictionary adhere to their own opinions and reject others' experience. The

English terms thus created do not reflect

the genuine meaning of the Chinese terms,but make the English glossary in

chaos. The so-called true face

of traditional Chinese revealed by such terms is merely the Chinese custom

of word formation and metaphoric

rhetoric. In other words, traditional Chinese medicine is not regarded as a

system of medicine but merely some

Oriental folklore.

 

In the article, words under discussion are:

jing ? (tetany)

fa ? (effusion)

jing bi ?? (menstrual block) authors argue for amenorrhea

e kou chuang ??? (goose mouth sore) authors argue for thrush

chou feng ?? (tugging wind) authors argue for convulsions (they use quotes

from the classics to make their case)

They have issues with the term dan ? (cinnabar), and also with the term ren

shen dian yong ???? (epilepsy of pregnanc) authors argue for eclampsia

er zhu ?? (ear pearl), they prefer tragus

zi gong ?? (children's palace) they prefer uterus

gui tou ?? (tortoise's head) they prefer glans penis

jiao gong fan zhang ???? (arched-back rigidity) they prefer opisthotonus

shui zhong ?? (water swelling) they prefer edema

feng zhen kuai ??? (papular wind lumps) they prefer wheals

feng zhen ?? (wind papules) they prefer rubella

 

In conclusion of the article, the authors'main issue is with the fact that

these popular terms are merely a part of oriental culture, and that they are

not genuine medicine terms.

So they argue for the inclusion of Western medical terms in the translation

of Chinese medical terms, because there are words in Western medicine that

define the issues better than the popular Chinese ones.

 

People that want to read the full article in Chinese may email me for a copy

tom.verhaeghe

 

Regards,

Tom.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This is by Xie Xu-fan, who has written a competing Chinese-English CM

dictionary, and is competing with the Wiseman team for points with

the WHO. Absolutely politically motivated comments. If we were to

adapt what Dr. Xie proposes, using primarily biomedical terms, we'd

be stepping back into the dark ages of the terrible English

translations that came from mainland China in the 80's and 90's.

 

 

On Feb 12, 2006, at 12:45 PM, Tom Verhaeghe wrote:

 

> ...and now for some semantics : )

>

> Abstract from the CHINESE JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED TRADITIONAL AND

> WESTERN

> MEDICINE 2005 Vol.25 No.11:

>

>

> Comments on Nigel Wiseman's A Practical Dictionary of Chinese

> Medicine:

> On the Use of Western Medical Terms in English Glossary of Chinese

> Medicine

> XIE Zhu-fan, LIU Gan-zhong,LU Wei-bo, et at The First Clinical Medical

> School,Peking University,Beijing(100034)

> Abstract:

[Guest guest]

Hi Tom,

 

I would like the dictionary to keep the direct translations, but also

add what the Western Diagnostics is to it. The stories behind the names

are helpful in most cases to remember the symptoms that are recognized

by Chinese medicine practitioners. Especially because the diagnostics

practiced are primarily from sensory input! The other point is that a

name in Chinese may mean more than one condition in Western medicine and

vis versa, and it would be good to know which one a practitioner is

working on and that comes from experience and good descriptions, not

technological reports that many Western Doctors rely on. Simple one

word translations are not going to work real well, given the enormous

differences in language and concepts.

 

Rozz

 

Tom Verhaeghe wrote:

> ...and now for some semantics : )

>

> Abstract from the CHINESE JOURNAL OF INTEGRATED TRADITIONAL AND WESTERN

> MEDICINE 2005 Vol.25 No.11:

>

>

> Comments on Nigel Wiseman's A Practical Dictionary of :

> On the Use of Western Medical Terms in English Glossary of

> XIE Zhu-fan, LIU Gan-zhong,LU Wei-bo, et at The First Clinical Medical

> School,Peking University,Beijing(100034)

> Abstract:

> Mr.Wiseman believes that Western medical terms chosen as equivalents of

> Chinese medical

> terms should be the words known to all speakers and not requiring any

> specialist knowledge or instrumentation to

> understand or identify, and strictly technical Western medical terms should

> be avoided regardless of their conceptual

> conformity to the Chinese terms. According to such criteria, many

> inappropriate Western medical terms are

> selected as English equivalents by the authors of the Dictionary, and on the

> other hand,many ready-made appropriate

> Western medical terms are replaced by loan English terms with the Chinese

> style of word formation.

> The experience obtained by translating Western medical terms into Chinese

> when Western medicine was first introduced

> to China should be helpful for developing English equivalents at present.

> However, the authors of the

> Dictionary adhere to their own opinions and reject others' experience. The

> English terms thus created do not reflect

> the genuine meaning of the Chinese terms,but make the English glossary in

> chaos. The so-called true face

> of traditional Chinese revealed by such terms is merely the Chinese custom

> of word formation and metaphoric

> rhetoric. In other words, traditional Chinese medicine is not regarded as a

> system of medicine but merely some

> Oriental folklore.

>

> In the article, words under discussion are:

> jing ? (tetany)

> fa ? (effusion)

> jing bi ?? (menstrual block) authors argue for amenorrhea

> e kou chuang ??? (goose mouth sore) authors argue for thrush

> chou feng ?? (tugging wind) authors argue for convulsions (they use quotes

> from the classics to make their case)

> They have issues with the term dan ? (cinnabar), and also with the term ren

> shen dian yong ???? (epilepsy of pregnanc) authors argue for eclampsia

> er zhu ?? (ear pearl), they prefer tragus

> zi gong ?? (children's palace) they prefer uterus

> gui tou ?? (tortoise's head) they prefer glans penis

> jiao gong fan zhang ???? (arched-back rigidity) they prefer opisthotonus

> shui zhong ?? (water swelling) they prefer edema

> feng zhen kuai ??? (papular wind lumps) they prefer wheals

> feng zhen ?? (wind papules) they prefer rubella

>

> In conclusion of the article, the authors'main issue is with the fact that

> these popular terms are merely a part of oriental culture, and that they are

> not genuine medicine terms.

> So they argue for the inclusion of Western medical terms in the translation

> of Chinese medical terms, because there are words in Western medicine that

> define the issues better than the popular Chinese ones.

>