Medical science is divided into numerous fields or specializations. A professional medical translator will not just have strong knowledge of languages, but of that specific medical field and the related terminologies as well.
Portuguese belongs to the West Romance family of languages. It is the sole official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe, and, is the co-official language in East Timor, Equatorial Guinea and Macau in China. Other widely spoken Western Romance languages are Spanish, French and Catalan. Portuguese is regarded as the sixth most spoken native language in the world and the most spoken language in South America. Besides the above mentioned countries Portuguese is also spoken by immigrant population in many countries such as, Andorra, Bermuda, Canada, France, Japan, Jersey, Namibia, Paraguay, Macau, Switzerland, Venezuela and United States.
Below are Portuguese translation of common terms used in medical documents:
| Portuguese Language | English Language |
|---|---|
| a saude | Health |
| a dor de cabeca | headache |
| a febre | fever |
| as colicas | cramps |
| a nausea | nausea |
| o AVC | stroke |
| a diabetes | diabetes |
| a epilepsia | epilepsy |
| a infeccao | infection |
| a alergia | allergy |
| a tensao arterial | blood pressure |
| o enfarte do miocardio | heart attack |
| o virus | virus |
| desmaiar | faint |
| a enxaqueca | migraine |
| o medico | doctor |
| o medidor de tensao arterial | blood pressure gauge |
| o estetoscopio | stethoscope |
| o termometro | thermometer |
| a ligadura triangular de suporte | sling |
| a entorse | sprain |
| a fractura | fracture |
| o corte | cut |
| o arranhao | graze |
| a queimadura | burn |
| a picada | sting |
| o acidente | accident |
| a hemorragia | hemorrhage |
| a bolha | blister |
| a emergencia | emergency |
| o ferimento na cabeca | head injury |
| os primeiros socorros | first aid |
| a pomada | ointment |
| o penso rapido | adhesive bandage |
| os analgesicos | painkillers |
| o anti-septico | antiseptic |
| a toalhita anti-septica | antiseptic wipe |
| o adesivo | adhesive tape |
| a tala | splint |
| a reanimacao | resuscitation |
| o hospital | hospital |