Medical Translation Fun Time

[sinnesspiel]

 I've come up against the problem a few times in past chapters but it's becoming more aggressively an issue, so I'd like to ask for help from those more versed in epidemiology and terminology than myself. 

 

Epidemic in English means a disease is happening more than would be expected (based on past rates) for a certain place or time period. 

 

In Japanese, epidemic means a specifically infectious disease that spreads from one agent (human, animal, etc.) to an individual in a chain reaction, the numbers of infected patients rising as a result. 

 

The word may be used more generally colloquially as a disease which spreads, but in the Japanese medical field, the word epidemic, DenSenByou (literally "contagious disease"; Den - influence, connect; Sen - Dye, color, effect; Byou - disease) is only used to refer to specific diseases covered by specific laws for management and prevention of them. I may make a larger post or cultural note on this if anyone is interested in Japanese health law; it's changed quite a bit since 1998 when this was written, much less 1994 from whence this is based. 

 

But back to the point, this is becoming increasingly frustrating to translate. Densen in densenbyou is also used as a verb for to infect (densen suru). This is relevant particularly in the latest chapter as they bring up the matter of "it's not a densenbyou but is it densening and thus basically a densenbyou?" Yet, we talk about epidemics in English, not infectious diseases. The word plague (ekibyou in Japanese, but perhaps closer to the English meaning epidemic) doesn't have the specific legal definition which is a discussion point used in the novel to declare it's not, technically, an epidemic. 

 

Is there a good English word that refers only, or at least is understood to specifically mean infectious diseases, besides, well, "infectious disease"?  It will seem unnatural for everyone to ask if it's an infectious disease. Asking about an epidemic, as the word implies something that spreads far and wide makes sense. However, the sense of communicability is lost. Seishin specifically uses ekibyou at one point, as as the doctor muses that that's an old fashioned word choice (which plague is in English too, a bit), so I'd like to differentiate it from plague too, if possible...

 

At any rate, some feedback is requested on words to use. If more explanation is needed, I'll provide it, and I suspect I won't be able to get out of culture noting this. I also know I have at least three people translating Shiki from English to their native languages, so this is a heads up that there will be a possible heavy translation overhaul of several chapters! Take note! Sorry for the trouble!

Comments

[airlynx]

Hmm, I don't mind the use of 'epidemic' in your translations, but it does feel like another word could replace it because of the difference you mentioned.

You could also use 'malady', although I don't know if it could work the same. Same with just 'disease' or 'sickness', which would relate that there is something out there spreading. You could also just have them say it generically like 'is there something going around?' although maybe you'd think that would stray too far from the original wording.

'Ailment', too can be a word...there's also 'pestilence' which just means a fatal epidemic disease, but if 'plague' is too archaic, 'pestilence' definitely is too. And maybe one wouldn't expect a backwoods rice field farmer to suddenly use high-level vocabulary.

Sorry, that's probably not very helpful, is it? As a reader, my opinion is that 'epidemic' works just fine and if you explain it in a well-worded culture note, I'll understand what they're trying to say there. But you could also use any or all of the above words sporadically, referring to it as an 'ailment' sometimes and a 'malady' in other instances.

sickness?

[yuxning]

super late comment = but why not just use the word: sickness?
It's sounds serious but the word is not as strong/serious epidemic?