English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary

Rating:
Summary: Very useful book, level of speaker
Review: There seems to be a misunderstanding on the role of a bilingual dictionary and one with definitions. Bilingual dictionaries are a quick translating reference from one language to another and are not necessarily meant to contain definitions. If you want a dictionary with medical terms and definitions in Spanish, you need a Spanish/Spanish medical dictionary. Though I expected this book to have a lot more in-depth medical terminology than it does, I think it would make an excellent reference for intermediate-level speakers. It has a very handy "dialogue" section in the back for communicating with patients on a variety of medical topics such as getting medical history, dentistry, birth control, neurology, etc., as well as a vast amount of slang terms. Advanced-level professional interpreters/translators, however, may not find this book quite as useful.

Rating:
Summary: A very handy bilingual resource
Review: This bilingual medical dictionary is a perfect pocket size reference for daily terminology for those working in the medical profession, students or simply for those who want to be able use medical terminology in both English and Spanish. The dictionary does not provide definitions of the medical terms or words so if your looking for a bilingual reference with definitions you should consult another source. The terms are arranged alphabetically and the equivalent word or phrase is provided from English to Spanish or from Spanish to English. For example: health food = comida saludable, to gain weight = aumentar de peso, vaccine= vacuna. The terminology is not at all complicated and is quite accurate. There are some practice dialogues patient- doctor questions and typical scenarios. The resource is perfect if you use it in the correct capacity, which is to quickly look up medical terminology and the equivalent meaning in English or Spanish. This dictionary is not an exhaustive resource; it would have been better if it were a little bigger.