ABSTRACT
We understand the source text so that we can make the target reader understand the target text. Understanding the mechanisms of text comprehension (3.1) has a two-fold purpose: a) to become aware of how we process the content of the source text; b) to grasp how our readers process the content of the target text. A medical degree provides the medical knowledge and skills needed to start a career as a health professional. Medical translators do not necessarily need a medical degree because we do not need the active knowledge and skills to carry out tasks in the clinic or in the laboratory, such as diagnosing, prescribing, operating, curing, and so forth. What is useful, however, is to acquire some background medical knowledge in order to be able to understand source texts properly (3.2). Developing comprehension strategies such as text mapping, using etymological information, exploring metaphors, or paraphrasing implicit information (3.3) can enhance our ability to understand medical texts and our sense of security when dealing with topics with which we are not familiar.
