Famous Cats in Medical Translation

Today, August 8th, is International Cat Day. This day was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to celebrate one of our most beloved and ancient pets.
To celebrate this day, I created a list of my favorite CATS in medical translation.

1. CAT Scan or CT scan is a computerized (axial) tomography scan. This imaging test combines a series of X-ray images taken from different angles around the patient’s body and uses computer processing to create cross-sectional images (slices) of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues. CT scan images provide more-detailed information than plain X-rays do.
2. CAT therapy or Cognitive Analytic Therapy is a form of psychological treatment used to help the patient recognize and resolve their problems by using logical and critical thinking. This type of therapy enables the patient to use their logical and practical skills to deal with issues instead of their emotional reactions or gut feelings. It is recommended for people dealing with many different life issues, including depression, addiction, work issues, marital and relationship problems, stress management, self-esteem issues, fear and anxiety issues, insecurity issues, phobias, performance issues, sexuality issues, and much more.
3. CAT is the ISO 639-2 code (a 3- letter code set) for Catalan. Catalan language, Catalan or Català is not, as some believe, a dialect of Spanish. It is a Romance language, meaning that it developed independently out of the vulgar Latin spoken by the Romans who colonized the Tarragona area. It is spoken by 9 million people in Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, Andorra (where it is the official language), and the town of Alghero in Sardinia, Italy.
4. CATs stands for Complementary And Alternative Therapies. It is also known as Complementary and Alternative medicine (CAM). This type of medicine and health practices that are not usually used by doctors or Western practitioners. Complementary medicine is conventional medicine used in addition to standard treatment and alternative medicine is used instead of conventional, standard treatments.

   Examples of these therapies are acupuncture, cupping, yoga, Tai Chi, relaxation techniques, supplements (herbs, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics) , detox, aromatherapy, massage therapy, reflexology, etc.

5. CAT Tool stands for Computer-Aided Translation tool. These tools split large multilingual documents into segments (phrases & paragraphs) which are stored in a database. This is “called translation memory” which means that previously translated material can be reused at any time. These programs allow us to increase our productivity (by decreasing translation time), to achieve terminology accuracy and consistency (we can create our own glossaries or use the ones provided by our clients), and also to collaborate with team members.

There are many options in the market and they can be downloaded to your computer or you can use them online. They can be compatible with Mac, PC, or both and they can be very user friendly or make you need a support group.

Which one is the best CAT tool, you ask? I always quote a friend of mine who was a project manager for a translation company: the one your biggest client prefers.

In order to work with a translation tool you need to purchase it and learn how to use it. So it would make sense to invest time and money in a CAT tool you will use and that would pay for itself in the long run.

My favorite place to purchase a CAT tool is Proz’s Translator Group Buy. I purchased my Wordfast for Mac there years ago and it was the best price I had seen, even during translation day discounts. You can find it here: https://www.proz.com/tgb

I hope you enjoyed this post about the most important cats you need to know in medical translation. Feel free to share it with people who would benefit from it. Also, don’t forget to check my previous posts and let me know what you think.

Happy International Cat Day and if you have a purring friend, make sure to give them a nice belly rub for me!

xo
Gloria