Translation Strategies of Technical Terms in Elderly Care from Japanese into Thai

Abstract

This article aims to study the translation strategies of technical terms in elderly care from Japanese to Thai. The research follows a qualitative design, using translation theories based on the transmission of meaning and culture to analyze the translation strategies of medical terminology in elderly care. The target group of key informants consists of two Japanese volunteers from the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) project, who are involved in elderly health care at the Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Center, Nonthaburi Provincial Health Office. The study period spans from October 2022 to February 2024, and the data collection method was purposive sampling. The research tool is a manual used by the Japanese volunteers titled Hajimete manabu kaigo no nihongo: Kihon no kotoba (Basic Japanese Vocabulary for Beginners in Elderly Care Work). The research process involved translating the manual by the researcher and then analyzing the translated content to identify the translation strategies for medical terminology in elderly care from Japanese to Thai. The findings reveal that the top three most frequently used translation strategies in this research are: 1) direct translation 2) translation using common Thai terms and 3) translation with added explanations.

The knowledge and findings from this study aim to emphasize the importance of translating specialized terms for elderly care from Japanese to Thai. It is expected that this research will contribute to the development of communication and translation of health and medical information, enhancing future collaboration between Japanese and Thai medical personnel in elderly care.