Translating Medical Jargon from English into Russian (a Case Study of US Series)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased demand for medical translation and localization services, as well as increased attention to medicine and increased popularity of TV series about doctors can be noticed. Such series have always attracted potential viewers because of the so-called “closed” field of knowledge and the desire of people without professional medical education to learn more about their health. However, the success of a film or TV series depends not only on its plot, but also on the translation quality, since a lot of TV series and films shot in foreign countries and, consequently, on foreign languages, are translated for the Russian viewers. The translator needs to identify and convey allusions, cultural realities, jokes, speech characteristics of the characters, etc. correctly. For example, in the speech of actors playing the roles of doctors, both terms and professional jargon are used, because of which the speech acquires an informal style, even if a serious topic is discussed. Medical jargon often contains not only emotional, but also cognitive information, since a jargon unit can replace a term. For this reason the translation of medical professional jargon should transmit not only emotional and stylistic components (for example, in order to preserve the humorous effect), but also cognitive one because wrong translation can harm the viewer’s health if a person having no sufficient knowledge in medicine decides to follow the recommendation heard in the series.