Customer Reviews

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm a translator in a medical clinic serving a mostly Salvadoran clientele. Though some specific usages vary somewhat from words our patients use, I have not yet stumped this little dictionary. Every word I've needed to know how to say in Spanish, I've found very easily.

If you are looking for a 'real' medical dictionary english-spanish, go somewhere else. This is a meagre pocket dictionary for superficial medical conversations with a spanish speaking patient. Don't look for any sofisticated terms or medical descriptions: there aren't any. So don't let the title mislead you: this book is a pocket guide to spanish/english gibberish, not to medical terms and medical science.

This bilingual medical dictionary is a perfect pocket size reference for daily terminology for those working in the medical profession, students or simply for those who want to be able use medical terminology in both English and Spanish. The dictionary does not provide definitions of the medical terms or words so if your looking for a bilingual reference with definitions you should consult another source. The terms are arranged alphabetically and the equivalent word or phrase is provided from English to Spanish or from Spanish to English. For example: health food = comida saludable, to gain weight = aumentar de peso, vaccine= vacuna. The terminology is not at all complicated and is quite accurate. There are some practice dialogues patient- doctor questions and typical scenarios. The resource is perfect if you use it in the correct capacity, which is to quickly look up medical terminology and the equivalent meaning in English or Spanish. This dictionary is not an exhaustive resource; it would have been better if it were a little bigger.

There seems to be a misunderstanding on the role of a bilingual dictionary and one with definitions. Bilingual dictionaries are a quick translating reference from one language to another and are not necessarily meant to contain definitions. If you want a dictionary with medical terms and definitions in Spanish, you need a Spanish/Spanish medical dictionary. Though I expected this book to have a lot more in-depth medical terminology than it does, I think it would make an excellent reference for intermediate-level speakers. It has a very handy "dialogue" section in the back for communicating with patients on a variety of medical topics such as getting medical history, dentistry, birth control, neurology, etc., as well as a vast amount of slang terms. Advanced-level professional interpreters/translators, however, may not find this book quite as useful.

For working medical interpreters, this dictionary will provide the information you need without adding ten pounds to your briefcase! Advantages include: very small size, excellent coverage of both general and specialized terminology, and a convenient format. It's true that definitions are not included - but if you're looking for a portable quick reference, the definitions just add weight...and if you don't know what a term means, you should be asking the doctor for an explanation, not reading to the patient from your dictionary. Readers from countries like Spain or Argentina will notice that this dictionary favors Spanish terms used in the U.S., Mexico and Central America. Highly recommended. Buy this one and a pocket-sized Larousse (general bilingual dictionary) to carry in your bag, and save your bigger medical dictionaries for reference/research use in the office.

If you want definitions of medical terms in Spanish, the Diccionario de Medicina (published by Planeta) is highly recommended. It includes a hardcover reference book AND an easy-to-use CD version. Don't plan on carrying it around, though - it's a monster!

If you require a more indepth medical dictionary consider "Diccionario Medico- Mosby"

Este diccionario me sirvio perfectamente cuando estaba estudiando medicina en Espana. This dictionary had everything that I needed when I was studying Medicine in Spain. I recommend it to everyone involved in medicine in the US today.

This is a very bad medical dictionary. It has a huge lack of medical terminology, everytime I need to traslate something I never find it in this "medical" dictionary ... so I go to a normal non-medical dictionary and often I find it ... hilarious.

This book is exactly what I needed. When I am interpreting I bring this with me as a resource. It is small enough to carry. My large dictionary I keep at home.

I'm currently a medical student and a large portion of our patient population is Spanish speaking only. Nice size, lightweight, this book has assisted me on numerous occasions in effectively communicating with my patients. It's a great resource for anyone -medical professional, traveler, etc.- who needs to know how to translate medical English into understandable Spanish.