Compiling Specialised Glossaries: A Case Study of English-isiNdebele Medical Terms

Abstract

The inability to access health care because of a language barrier is a matter of concern which this study seeks to address. There is a critical need to access health care communication by amaNdebele, an ethnic group who speak Southern Ndebele known as isiNdebele, one of the official languages of South Africa. IsiNdebele belongs to the Nguni family, alongside isiZulu, isiXhosa and Siswati. The study examines the compilation of a specialised English-isiNdebele glossary of medical terms. It investigates the methodologies and challenges that are involved in the creation of bilingual medical terminologies for English and isiNdebele. A corpus-based approach together with the prescriptive and descriptive lexicographic methods was employed. Medical corpora were compiled, and consultation with the isiNdebele speaking medical community also took place. This was done so that medical terms which are culturally appropriate could be developed. The findings of this study reveal notable gaps in the medical terminology of isiNdebele. The findings further emphasise the significance of term formation in which the medical community (nurses and doctors) and language (isiNdebele) experts are involved. This study contributes to the broader discourse on equity in healthcare. It also contributes to the intellectualisation of African languages in post-apartheid South Africa.