The compilation of the Shona–English biomedical dictionary: problems and challenges

Abstract

The bilingual Shona–English dictionary of biomedical terms, Duramazwi reUrapi neUtano, was compiled with the aim of improving the efficiency of communication between doctor and patient. The dictionary is composed of terms from both modern and traditional medicinal practices. The article seeks to look at the methods of production of the dictionary, the presentation of entries in the dictionary and the problems and challenges encountered in the compilation proc-ess, namely, developing Shona medical terminology in the cultural context and especially the as-pect of equivalence between English and Shona biomedical terms.

Keywords: biomedical, adoptives, entries, synonyms, cross-references, idioms, circumlocution, standardisation, headword, equivalence, vari-ants, definition, culture, euphemisms, modern, traditional, monolingual, bilingual, corpus, borrowing, shona, communication