Linguistic Aspects of Medical Terminology: The Breast Cancer

The current paper proposes a brief overview of some linguistic features of medical terminology in general, which also apply to the scientific discourse of breast cancer in particular. The means of word building and the etymology of terms specific to this surgical field, including the word “cancer” are addressed, emphasizing the existence of a clear-cut difference between the formal technical register used by professionals in peer communication and in publication of their scientific research results on the one hand, and the semi-technical terminology used in communicating with patients, on the other. I also highlight some stumbling blocks that a translator, non-specialist in the medical field, may encounter in the translation of highly specialized articles belonging to different medical sub-domains (e.g.: breast surgery, laparoscopic surgery, etc.).