Cultural Adaptations and Terminological Standardization in Medical Translation: Challenges and Approaches in Latin American Spanish

This study addresses the question of how to balance international terminology standardization with the cultural adaptation necessary to ensure effective communication in medical texts for a Latin American audience. Based on an analysis of World Health Organization guidelines and public health materials from Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, lexical variations and cultural conflicts were identified, such as the use of warfare metaphors in epidemiological texts. To do this, a corpus of 150 texts and 150 key words was built, describing bidimensional analytical approaches: functionalist and variationist The results underscore the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and the use of regional terminology tools, and provide a practical framework for improving intercultural communication and promoting medical equity in Latin America.