For health care providers working with a low English-proficient
patient population, emphasis is oftentimes focused on providing translation services
only in one direction: from our source
language, English, into the goal target
language of the patient. As a clinical
ophthalmologist serving a community of Spanish-speaking patients, I have
provided this to my patients: written translation of English into Spanish of
various forms of office documentation, including patient referral information,
correspondence letters, educational pamphlets, surgical consent forms, etc.
However, I discovered over the years during my
clinical encounters that there can be just as much of a need for translation in
the opposite direction, from Spanish to English, in order to provide proper continuity
of care. Many of these patients maintain close ties with extended family and
friends in their home countries, and travel to those countries often as they
possibly can. Therefore, many of them continue to receive care from their
personal doctors serving them back home.
In order to properly coordinate care
for these patients, particularly for chronic conditions, such as glaucoma care
or diabetic retinopathy monitoring, I provide a summary of exam findings for my
patients to take to their doctor. They, in turn, return with reports from their
physician written to me, often written in their native language. Below I have
copied one such report, which was furnished from the patient’s ophthalmologist
in her home country. It is an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) scan of her
optic nerves and retinal nerve fiber layer, routinely performed by
ophthalmologists to monitor for glaucoma progression. After the original
letter, you will find my translation into English. I then touch on some keys
points in the letter.**
**The patient and doctor’s name have been removed
for privacy reasons.
Original letter:
Informe de OCT – NIDEK
Tomografía de Coherencia Óptica
Fecha: 09 Febrero del 2017
Paciente:
Referido por: Dra. --
Resultados:
Utilizando el RNFL and ONH: Optic Disc Map 256 x 256 y
realizando un análisis del promedio del grosor de la capa de fibras
nerviosas, encontramos valores en OD 101 micras y OS 93
micras. Presenta
una curva comparativa simétrica 87%. En cuanto al estudio de la
cabeza del
nervio óptico, resaltamos que se aprecian un radio promedio excavaciones
en OD
0.46 y OS 0.54, con una relación C/D vertical en OD 0.44 y OS 0.58,
con un disco total de 2.18 mm2 y 2.10
mm2 , respectivamente. El TSNIT
muestra alteración en cuadrantes temporales AO.
Realizamos análisis de células ganglionares las
cuales se encuentran
disminuidas en AO.
Estos resultados tomográficos muestran un conteo de fibras
nerviosas
bajo con alteración en las células ganglionares, por lo que este
estudio
podría considerarse sospechoso de Neuropatía Glaucomatosa Inicial,
recomendamos realizar Gonioscopía, correlacionar con la paquimetría y
repetir estudio diagnóstico dentro de 1 año para
control y seguimiento.
Gracias por su gentil referimiento,
Dra. --
Cirujano Oftalmóloga
*
OCT-NIDEK
report
Optical
Coherence Tomography
Date:
February 9, 2017
Patient:
Referred
by: Dr. --
Results:
Using the retinal nerve fiber layer and optic nerve
head Optic Disc Map 256x256 and performing an analysis of the average thickness
of the nerve fiber layer, we found the following values: 101 microns in the OD
and 93 microns in the OS. This presents
a symmetric comparison curve of 87%. In
relation to the optic nerve head study, we note that we can appreciate average
optic nerve cupping of 0.46 OD and 0.54 OS, with a vertical C/D ratio of 0.44
OD and 0.58 OS, with a total disc area measuring 2.18mm² and 2.10mm²,
respectively. The
temporal-superior-nasal-inferior-temporal (TSNIT) analysis shows an alteration
in the temporal quadrants of both eyes (OU).
We performed an analysis of the ganglion cells which
were found to be diminished in both eyes.
These tomographic results show a decreased nerve
fiber layer count with alterations in the ganglion cell layer, and therefore
should be considered suspect for Early Glaucomatous Neuropathy, we recommend
doing a gonioscopy, to correlate with the pachymetry and repeat of this
diagnostic study within one year for maintenance and follow-up.
Thank you for your kind referral,
Dr. --
Ophthalmic surgeon
*
During the course of my translating this article
from its original Spanish into English, I noticed that some of the ophthalmic
abbreviations that we ophthalmologists and optometrists use here in the US are the same as those used by eye care specialists in Spanish-speaking countries. Others, however, are different.
Therefore, I did some research and found a very helpful website online:
Vistaláser Oftalmología, which happens to be the website for a group of
practicing ophthalmologists in Málaga, Marbella and Granada, Spain. The address
is as follows: https://www.vista-laser.com/abreviaturas-optometria-oftalmologia/
The page is broken into the following groups:
Abreviaturas
médicas sobre la salud ocular, or Medical Abbreviations
regarding Ocular Health
Abreviaturas
de oftalmología, or Ophthalmology Abbreviations
Abreviaciones
de óptica-optometría, or Optical-Optometry Abbreviations
Abreviaciones
médicas habituales, or Common Medical Abbreviations
Sometimes, doctors in Spanish-speaking countries
will use some of the same abbreviations we doctors in the US are familiar with
because they both come from the Latin language. An example of this is the
abbreviation:
OU,
Latin for oculus uterque, and what we
know as both eyes
OS,
Latin for oculus sinister, and what
we know as left eye
OD,
Latin for oculus dexter, and what we
know as right eye
In
this particular report, what I found interesting was that the author used the
familiar OD and OS, but then used the abbreviation: AO, which I had never seen before.
If
you peruse the list of abbreviations on the VistaLáser Oftalmología website,
you will find that AO is the Spanish way of saying OU, or both eyes:
AO,
from Ambos Ojos=both eyes.
To
summarize, English and Spanish-speaking doctors will likely be able to use several ocular abbreviations interchangeably,
due to the common use of Latin in medicine. However, there will also be special
means of referring to a disease state or an ocular structure that is unique to
the language of origin. As is the case with any translation, continue to be a
sleuth – try to find parallel texts or resources such as the VistaLáser
Oftalmología web page to help explain and clarify any uncertainties. In this way,
your translated text will reflect the intent and meaning of the original as
closely as possible.
References
Abreviaturas
en optometría y oftalmología. Retrieved October 24, 2017 from https://www.vista-laser.com/abreviaturas-optometria-oftalmologia/
 |
| NYC mural by Lunar New Year, October 2017 |
