Transediting and its relevance to medical discourse

Translators are required to handle an ever-increasing volume of texts covering a myriad of genres and to perform intralingual, interlingual and intersemiotic communication activities once considered as lying beyond the confines of translation proper. The focus of attention in translation research is thus gradually shifting to explore translators’ mediating practices as they rewrite texts to fit the expectations of the recipient audiences. Transediting is a form of rewriting that is particularly recipient-oriented and where the translator’s interventionist role is a central feature. It is also an integral part of written medical production in English requiring specialist knowledge and expertise and can only contribute to a successful outcome if there is cooperation with the medical expert. The composite skills of a transeditor working in the medical field include proficient and specialised bilingual language competence, specialised editorial and writing skills, awareness of the norms and conventions specific to scientific journal publishing and a sufficiently developed knowledge of the subject to be able rewrite the paper in accordance with the expectations of the recipient audience. Vital, too, are diplomatic skills in providing constructive criticism to authors and a high ethical standard. Successful cooperation depends very much on understanding the point of view, expectancies and one’s counterpart and establishing a certain degree of shared ground.