Language Skills Worksheet #2

A great deal of effort is being spent teaching medical transcription to overseas workers in the hope that, by combining Internet technology with the cheap labor costs available in places like India, the Philippines and the Caribbean, America's largest transcription agencies can increase their profits to shareholders. While this may be a sound approach to take when manufacturing widgets, the improper use of the English language by foreign transcriptionists (as well as by doctors who speak English as their second language) often creates contextual problems.

Many people fail to understand that someone in a foreign country who is transcribing dictation from doctors in American hospitals will be thinking in textbook English as opposed to the way English is spoken in America.

Conversely, one transcriptionist's favorite Indian physician dictates:

"The patient will return to see us when she returns from wacation. She is feeling wery wery good today."

What goes through the mind of a professional medical language specialist when confronted with such dictation?

"The doctor sounds like Elmer Fudd, the guy in the Bugs Bunny cartoons who is always screaming 'I'll get you, you wascally wabbit,'" laughs the woman who transcribes this doctor's work.

The following quotes are taken from people who speak English as a second language. In each situation, rewrite the text so that it is grammatically correct.

"Excuse me, sir but I am not understanding. Why are they serving me all this meat when I have been a vegetable for 20 years?"

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"The patient has no any problems with more or less shortness of breath."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"The patient complains of pain in the left-sided eye."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"I have spoken with Dr. Y and he recommends you service very highly."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"The complications have been fully informed."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"There is no swallowing of the left leg."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"Patient cannot get an election due to he is deplessed."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"Her car was stroked by another car."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"It was a pressure seeing this patient for you."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"I have saw her and evaluated her in the office."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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"At the time of the accident, the patient was driving a Dodge Clot."

Diagnosis:

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Corrected Text:

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