Dictionary of Medical Terms in Latvian and English Launched as App
Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) has developed a dictionary of medical terms as a free smartphone app together with the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences. The dictionary targets international students studying medicine and dentistry in Latvia, medical practitioners, and translators. It is also useful for patients and can be used by Latvians when traveling, or by international patients who need to communicate with doctors in Latvia.
More than 2,500 international students study at RSU. The study process includes training and undergoing placements in various Latvian medical institutions and involves communicating with patients who are not always able to explain their medical history or other medical information in English. They will now be able to use this app to translate medical terms, words or sentences from English to Latvian or vice versa.
‘Medical texts are some of the most complex to translate because you not only need to know the source and target languages, but also be familiar with medical terminology,’ says RSU Assistant Professor Inga Kaija, who is one of the authors of this dictionary.
The dictionary was created as an app in order to make it easier for students to use it, as it is not always convenient to use a computer or a book at a medical institution.
The app contains audio recordings of words and phrases in Latvian as well as educational games that help users learn medical terms in English and Latvian.
In total, the dictionary of medical terms contains about 3,800 words, phrases or expressions. The application is called EN-LV-EN Medical Dictionary, and it is available for smartphones using both Android and iOS operating systems.
