“The first Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Medical Terms presented in Madrid” reflects a landmark achievement for the Spanish-speaking medical community and society as a whole, aiming to standardize the language of health and promote accurate communication between specialists and patients. The collaboration between the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain and the Latin American Association of National Academies of Medicine, Spain and Portugal, has resulted in an online dictionary comprising over 70,000 medical terms and their American English equivalents.
The significance of this monumental work was emphasized by the presence of King Felipe VI of Spain and representatives from 12 Latin American countries at the presentation in Madrid. This effort to unify medical terminology across the Spanish-speaking world represents a crucial step in maintaining and enriching linguistic heritage for the transmission of medical knowledge.
Dr. Juan Antonio Mazzei, President of the National Academy of Medicine of Argentina, highlighted the importance of this initiative in providing a common reference for health professionals, as diseases may be known by different names in different countries. The dictionary is designed to include detailed descriptions of diseases and their terminology based on diatopic differences, catering to each country’s linguistic variations.
The project’s main challenges, Dr. Mazzei explained, included ensuring consistent language and spelling in accordance with the Royal Spanish Academy’s rules and achieving compatibility in disease definitions. Despite these obstacles, the dictionary will be accessible online through a free application and will be continuously updated.
The presentation emphasized the commitment to disseminating the dictionary among medical societies, doctors, and the general public interested in medical terminology and disease definitions. Ultimately, this Pan-Hispanic Dictionary of Medical Terms is poised to make a significant impact and facilitate improved communication within the medical community and beyond.