The field of medical interpreting is rapidly expanding and perhaps the most needed language pair at hospitals in the United States is Spanish-English. The list of terms below is an ongoing database created by Spanish-English medical interpreters based on our experience in the field, including alternatives based on regional variations in terminology. Like any page, viewers are welcome to make changes and additions to continue updating this page and making it as useful as possible to as many interpreters as possible. If you are unsure about an entry or have a proposed alternative you are not certain of, use the discussion version of the page to make your comments. Terms are listed alphabetically by the English word:
Bone marrow - Medula Ocea
Brace - Soporte
Breech baby - Bebe atravesado
Cast - Yeso férula (removable cast)
Catheter - Sonda or Cateter
Chicken pox - Viruela
Discharge (from the hospital) - Dar de alta
Discharge (from a wound or surgery site) - Deshecho