Medical Dictionary in Six Languages

From The Critics

Reviewer: James Shedlock, AMLS(Northwestern University)
Description: This new work provides a translation of English word phrases into their foreign language equivalents. The 7,500 commonly used words and terms concentrate on those associated with clinical trials.
Purpose: The purpose is to assist readers with translation of English phrases (two to four words) into five other languages: French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese. "Dictionary" in the tittle refers to the narrow scope of the term: a list of words and their translation. No definitions are provided. Offering a Japanese translation is a welcome addition.
Audience: The audience is professionals working in the area of clinical trials. Whether individuals would use this work is questionable. The work is most likely to be placed in a central library's reference collection. Dr. Spilker has authored and edited a number of texts related to the topic of clinical trials.
Features: Organization of terms is by American English, with significant British differences highlighted in the introductory matter and the British equivalent indicated in parentheses after the American version. Separate indexes exist for each language; a number is assigned to each word or term that leads to its entry in the English list. The text is arranged in a landscape format.
Assessment: If this work demonstrates any value, it is its concentration of words and terms associated with clinical trials. However, many of the words and terms are applicable to biomedicine in general. In comparison with Elsevier's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Medicine, compiled by A.F. Dorian, 1987, this work does not offer clarifying definitions; by purpose it is not as comprehensive as the Elsevier title, but it is more current and does offer Japanese translations.

James Shedlock

This new work provides a translation of English word phrases into their foreign language equivalents. The 7,500 commonly used words and terms concentrate on those associated with clinical trials. The purpose is to assist readers with translation of English phrases (two to four words) into five other languages: French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese. ""Dictionary"" in the tittle refers to the narrow scope of the term: a list of words and their translation. No definitions are provided. Offering a Japanese translation is a welcome addition. The audience is professionals working in the area of clinical trials. Whether individuals would use this work is questionable. The work is most likely to be placed in a central library's reference collection. Dr. Spilker has authored and edited a number of texts related to the topic of clinical trials. Organization of terms is by American English, with significant British differences highlighted in the introductory matter and the British equivalent indicated in parentheses after the American version. Separate indexes exist for each language; a number is assigned to each word or term that leads to its entry in the English list. The text is arranged in a landscape format. If this work demonstrates any value, it is its concentration of words and terms associated with clinical trials. However, many of the words and terms are applicable to biomedicine in general. In comparison with Elsevier's Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Medicine, compiled by A.F. Dorian, 1987, this work does not offer clarifying definitions; by purpose it is not as comprehensive as the Elsevier title, but it is more current and does offer Japanese translations.

Booknews

A dictionary for medical professionals who often want to translate words and terms that are difficult to find in a dictionary, even a medical dictionary. It includes some 7,500 translations for words, common phrases, and multi-word terms. Entries are listed in alphabetical order in English and each has been assigned an entry number. Five complete indexes--French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Japanese--are cross-referenced to the main listing by entry number. Nicely produced, though a magnifying glass would not be out of order. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

3 Stars from Doody