Exploration of Language-service-oriented Teaching Practice in Medical Translation Workshops

Abstract

This study examines a language-service-oriented teaching model for medical translation workshops in the context of medical English education. The teaching practice was implemented among junior-year medical English majors at Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities and was designed to connect translation training with practical language-service tasks. The workshop model combined project analysis, translation brief preparation, background research, group translation, collaborative discussion, teacher-guided revision, and the delivery of selected translation versions to clients. This study adopted a quasi-experimental teaching-practice research method, combining classroom teaching observations with quantitative and qualitative analyses of student and client feedback data to explore the effectiveness of the innovative teaching model. It drew on teaching-practice observations, client feedback, and student satisfaction data from three cohorts. Across the three cohorts, 27 translation service tasks were reported, and client responses indicated that 25 services were rated as either “very satisfied” or “satisfied,” with no dissatisfied responses. Student feedback also suggested generally positive perceptions of the workshop model, particularly in relation to learning motivation, understanding of translation theories and techniques, translation competence, and bilingual expression. Agreement was comparatively lower, though still generally favourable, for self-learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving items. The findings suggest that a language-service-oriented workshop can provide a practical environment for medical translation training and may support students' professional awareness and ability to apply translation skills. However, the evidence is mainly descriptive and based on satisfaction-oriented feedback; therefore, the results should be interpreted as indicative rather than conclusive.