The Ulutas Medical Journal p-ISSN 2149-0430 e-ISSN 2149-388X

Turkish–English medical translation errors

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Many manuscripts are first written, or thought, in Turkish and then translated into English, by the authors, a colleague or a machine. Translation errors are different from grammar errors: the sentence can be grammatically perfect and still say something you did not mean. This guide covers four common sources of trouble and ends with a checklist. The general principles come from the guidelines of the European Association of Science Editors (EASE) for authors and translators; Turkish meanings are taken from the Turkish Language Association (TDK) dictionary and English meanings from the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

False friends

EASE warns that literal translations are often wrong, including so-called false friends: words that look alike in two languages but differ in meaning. If in doubt, it advises checking the definition in an English dictionary. Some examples that matter in medical texts:

  • tansiyon → not "tension". In TDK's dictionary, "tansiyon" means blood pressure (kan basıncı) and also tension (gerilim). In English, "tension" on its own means strain or unrest, not blood pressure. Write "blood pressure"; "hypertension" and "hypotension" are fine.
  • kür → not "cure". TDK defines "kür" as a course of care and drug treatment or a special treatment method. In English, "cure" mainly means recovery from a disease or something that brings it about; Merriam-Webster marks "a course of treatment" as a dated sense. "Üç kür kemoterapi" is "three courses of chemotherapy", not "three cures".
  • aktüel → not "actual". TDK gives "güncel" (current, up to date). English "actual" means existing in fact or reality. "Aktüel literatür" is "the current literature".
  • kontrol → often not "control". In Turkish, "kontrol" can mean checking or inspection, and in hospitals a "kontrol" visit. In English research writing, "control" usually refers to a comparison group or to adjusting for a variable ("controlled for age"). For a planned return visit, Merriam-Webster's sense of "follow-up" (continued contact with, or re-examination of, a patient after treatment) is the clearer word: "follow-up visit at 3 months", not "control at 3 months".

Literal translations

Translating word by word keeps Turkish structure in English sentences. EASE advises translators to change sentence structure where necessary so that the message is conveyed correctly and clearly, and to replace terms used mostly in translations with commonly known English terms. Typical signs of literal translation:

  • Long sentences that keep the Turkish word order. In English, put the subject and verb early and split long sentences; EASE recommends that each paragraph start with a topic sentence.
  • Heavy noun phrases such as "Measurements of X were carried out". EASE suggests the simpler "X was measured", and lists wordy phrases to cut, such as "due to the fact that" (because) and "prior to" (before).
  • Empty or vague words. EASE warns against words like "important", "treated" or "reacted well" without detail; state what was done and measured.
  • Terms defined differently in each language. If a Turkish term has no exact English equivalent, EASE recommends defining it precisely at first use and then using one English term consistently.

If you used machine translation or an AI tool, read the result against your Turkish text sentence by sentence and check that the meaning has not changed. If you used a generative AI tool, declare it as the journal requires (see the Instructions for Authors).

Units, decimals and dates

Numbers need special care, because a reader may act on them.

  • Decimal marker. In Turkish, TDK's spelling rules use a comma for decimals ("38,6"). EASE points out that English uses a decimal point, not a comma, including in figures and tables. Write "38.6 °C", "P=0.048", "0.45 mg". Check every table and graph as well as the text.
  • Large numbers. Unless the journal asks otherwise, EASE recommends thin spaces rather than commas or points to group digits in numbers with more than four digits on either side of the decimal point.
  • Dates. TDK's rules write dates as day, month and year separated by points or slashes (29.5.1453 or 18/11/1969). British and American English order dates differently, so EASE suggests writing the month as a word or its first three letters ("12 Mar 2024"). In case reports, avoid exact dates altogether for patient privacy (see the journal's Informed Consent page).
  • Units. ICMJE asks for metric units, degrees Celsius and blood pressure in millimetres of mercury, and for laboratory values in both local units and SI units, following the journal's instructions.
  • Roman numerals for months or centuries appear in TDK's examples (29.X.1923, XV. yüzyıl), but EASE notes they are rare in English and advises against them.

Checklist before submission

  • Every term you translated from Turkish has been checked in an English dictionary or in English-language papers in your field.
  • No "tension" for blood pressure, "cure" for a treatment course, "actual" for current, or "control" for a follow-up visit.
  • Long sentences have been split; each paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence.
  • All decimals use points, in text, tables and figures; P values are written like "P=0.048".
  • Dates use month names, not numbers; no exact patient dates in case reports.
  • Units are metric or SI as required, with consistent symbols.
  • Spelling follows one convention, British or American, throughout.
  • Someone fluent in English has read the full text, as the journal encourages; their help is acknowledged.

See also our guide on common mistakes in medical English.

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