English – Igbo Translation of Health Terms: Detection and Cure of Tuberculosis Patients

Abstract

Tuberculosis has been a problem to the human race right from the origin of man. Its cure and possible expertation and that of small pox have been very problematic. The traditional and orthodox medical doctors have been managing with the problem of tuberculosis. Many factors were really responsible for the disease. It is observed that before a healer is able to give a correct treatment and possibly finally a cure to a disease, that the relationship between him and his patient must be obstacle free. It was therefore observed that one of the obstacles which the modern and orthodox medical doctors have been managing include the inability of the patient to communicate effectively with doctors using terms related to detection and cure of tuberculosis. Hence, the need for compilation of terms on tuberculosis, possibly in order to enhance mutual intelligibility between the doctors and their patients. The objective of this study is to get as many lexical items as possible on tuberculosis among all the dialectical zones of Igbo language
community. The population of this study is therefore made up of four hundred respondents randomly chosen from the five Igbo speaking states of Anambra, Ebonyi, Abia, Enugu and Imo. In the end, the following findings were highlighted: The dearth of Igbo terms in the area of detection and cure of tuberculosis is a problem to the traditional health providers in the treatment of the disease and there is no bilingual glossary of detection and cure of tuberculosis for consultation purposes. It is hoped that this study will enhance the cure and the final extinction of tuberculosis in the Igbo culture
area.