Terminologies of traditional medicine will no longer be lost in translation.
Yesterday the World Health Organization (WHO) and China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) launched the world's first document listing international standard terminologies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
The document contains nearly 4,000 terms covering eight categories including basic theories, disease, acupuncture, and medical treatments. Each has English rendering, definition and descriptions and a Chinese version, with up to 90 percent commonly used in TCM today.
"It's a great pioneering undertaking and a milestone for the promotion of TCM globally," said Cao Hongxin, the director with CACMS, which worked with the Western Pacific Region Office (WPRO), of the WHO to compile the works.
He said uniform terminologies would be applied in current education, practice, research, and information exchanges.
Originally from ancient China, TCM has developed and thrived in neighboring countries of the Western Pacific Region, sometimes with certain variations in accordance with local languages and practices.
That's why some 10 percent of the terms included in the document are from traditional Korean medicine, Kampo medicine of Japan, and traditional Vietnamese medicine, said Xie Zhufan, a TCM professor with Peking University, in an interview with China Daily.
Xie participated in the work with counterparts from other countries.
"Given the recent rapid increase in the worldwide use and exchanges of time-honored medical science, the document just meets the pressing need of traditional medicine practitioners for a common language," said Seung-hoon Choi, regional traditional medicine adviser at WPRO.
Considering constant updates to the rapidly developing science, the terminologies would be renewed every three to five years, Choi said.
"Notably, standardization of traditional medicine is a key step to facilitate the science, which is proved by the past experience to be safe, effective, easy, and cost-efficient, going worldwide and benefiting the human race," Choi said.
A great number of foreigners nowadays turn to TCM for disease prevention and health maintenance, when modern medicines aren’t effective.
However some Western medicine practitioners have downplayed the benefits of TCM and said they should be used in tandem with modern medicines.
"However, that doesn't alter one of our long time missions, to promote traditional medicines among member countries because it heals diseases," Choi said.
Choi is one of four out of 3,000 health experts with WHO, who specialize in traditional medicine.
Questions:
1. About how many terms are listed in the international standard terminologies of Traditional Chinese Medicine?
2. Ten percent of the terms come from other countries. Name them.
3. Why are foreigners turning to TCM?
Answers:
1.Nearly 4,000.
2.Japan, Korea, Vietnam.
3.They look to TCM for disease prevention and health maintenance.
（英语点津 Celene 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Bernice Chan is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Bernice has written for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong and most recently worked as a broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, producing current affairs shows and documentaries.
