What sets Brainscape apart from any other study app is that its adaptive learning algorithm leverages decades of cognitive science research. And through the cognitive principles of spaced repetition , active recall , and metacognition , it can help you learn medical Spanish terminology 2 to 5 times as efficiently as traditional study methods, which means you’ll achieve fluency much quicker!
You’ll master those medical phrases and terminology a lot faster if you’ve already come to grips with the language’s basic structure, grammar, and pronunciation. (You can learn or brush up on that with Brainscape’s certified Spanish flashcards .)
Naturally, however, most people who want to learn medical Spanish terminology are already conversationally fluent in Spanish. They just want to be able to better communicate their services, diagnoses, and care instructions to their patients, as well as the other doctors and healthcare providers they may be working with.
Also, definitely check out our interview with linguist and author Ekaterina Matveeva on how to jack up your language-learning efficiency by an order of magnitude...
As someone who is already working in healthcare or studying medicine, you have more than enough on your plate, which is why learning medical Spanish terminology should be as efficient as humanly possible .
Long gone are the days when you could afford to study by highlighting the textbook, making pretty notes, and then reading and re-reading those notes, only to forget 90% of what you learned a few days later.
What you need is to swiftly learn and remember new medical Spanish terminology as you study it , in whatever snatches of free time you have throughout your day. The perfect tool for the job? Brainscape, a flashcard app that leverages the way your brain is biologically wired to help you learn, understand, and remember information 2-5 times faster than those traditional study techniques.
The “secret sauce” to our medical Spanish app is a cognitive science strategy called spaced repetition , which involves repeating the concepts you struggle with again and again, until they’re so deeply ingrained in your brain, you’ll never forget them.
Of course, it’s a lot more complex than mere repetition: our spaced repetition algorithm actually repeats the concepts back to you at precisely the right time interval for your learning goals, so if you know something well, you won’t see it again for awhile but if you struggle with something, you’ll get drilled on it over and over again until you get it right.
Learning strategies aside, we’ve worked with the Spanish language educators of Amolingua and linguist Ekaterina Matveeva to curate a complete list of medical Spanish flashcards so that you have everything you need to immediately and efficiently begin learning. (Ekaterina’s work focuses on helping people like you to navigate the complexities of the multilingual and multicultural world.)
Brainscape's Medical Spanish collection breaks down thousands of key terms and phrases into question-and-answer flashcards, which you can use to drill yourself anytime, anywhere. So if learning medical Spanish terminology quickly is your goal, you won’t find a better tool to help you accomplish it!
Tip # 4: Don’t neglect your cultural intelligence! Cultural intelligence is all-too-often neglected by those who are learning Spanish, or any new language for that matter. It’s great to arrive in a new country and be able to communicate with its people but you should also be well versed in their culture , from their broader religious observances, practices, and traditions to the idiosyncrasies of behavior and communication that make them so unique.
If it’s your plan to visit or live in a Spanish-speaking country as a medical healthcare professional, you’ll be working extremely closely with the locals so it’s super important that you understand and respect their culture , not only to offer them the best and most compassionate care possible but so that you also don’t find yourself misinterpreting their behavior, body language, or expressions.
Remember, what’s considered totally polite and acceptable in your culture may translate poorly to the Spanish-speaking people you wish to serve, even if they’re living in your country. Also, if you wish to communicate effectively with people , understanding the lens through which they view the world and the culture in which they grew up , goes tremendously far in helping you communicate with them and offer the most effective care possible.
It will also help you put their minds at ease because, let’s face it, seeking medical attention in a foreign country and/or when you don’t understand your own doctor, can be a really stressful experience!
Pro tip: If you’re looking for a great resource to improve your cultural intelligence and awareness, check out Amolingua as a resource.
Tip # 5: Practice speaking Spanish with other people and professionals Remember how we described language as a skill? Well, in addition to practicing it as often as you can at home, you should also practice having conversations with as many native-language speakers as you can ! This sends an urgent signal to your brain—I need to know this in order to be understood / understand them —which then prompts you to remember those words and phrases faster than if you were just practicing them in isolation.
So, in addition to practicing your Spanish and medical Spanish flashcards , seek out every available opportunity to chat with other people; even with your existing Spanish-speaking patients, if possible. Just make sure that you’ve both understood each other in your native language afterwards. You wouldn’t want to misunderstand them and arrive at the wrong diagnosis or send them home with the wrong care instructions!
Pro tip: To really improve your medical Spanish terminology, try to find other Spanish-speaking healthcare professionals who want to improve their English and help each other work on your speaking skills and vocabulary!
Read: “Why you should practice SPEAKING a second language ”
Tip # 6: Perfect your regional accent / pronunciation Just like English is spoken in a HUGE variety of accents across the United States—nevermind the world’s English-speaking countries—so too is Spanish spoken in a wide array of accents . And it’s not just the way the Spanish is spoken (accent); it also comes down to different colloquialisms and expressions, which form a crucial part of the language as a whole.
And so, on the other end of mastering medical Spanish is being able to understand and be understood by a population of people who naturally speak in regional dialects and accents. This can be tricky because these are so particular to the place or population you are serving as a medical healthcare professional so we encourage you to select a Spanish educator or expert (like Amolingua ) who can coach you to better serve those people.
While you can’t learn Spanish from watching TV alone , a really fun way to complement your solo studies or class time is to indulge in a rich variety of Spanish language media! Think: TV shows, movies, audiobooks, podcasts, and even songs. This kind of practice helps to tune your ear to the way the language is spoken “in real life”. (Really try to mimic what you listen to, repeating the dialogue if you can and learning the lyrics to your favorite songs!)
Importantly, however, if you want to get the most out of this kind of practice, you should make sure that the skill level of the media roughly matches your skill level as a Spanish speaker , otherwise you’re not going to understand a word being spoken and you won’t benefit from the time spent.
Also, it really helps to watch/listen to the Spanish versions of movies and books you’ve already seen in English. Being familiar with the basic plotline will give your brain the footholds it needs on the material to start layering in (and remembering) new vocabulary.
At the medical Spanish level, you could look up some medical podcasts and YouTube channels created by Spanish-speaking people. Practicing what you hear over and over again will really help you to refine your pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. You will also develop your speaking and grammar skills, and make it significantly easier for the people you serve to understand you.
Tip # 8: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes! Finally, the best way to learn any skill quickly is just to DO IT, even if you suck at first. Mistakes are a part of the learning process and worrying about “how you look” or “how you sound” is only going to hold you back. Besides, it’s better to make mistakes in your practice conversations with people than while actually serving patients.
So, throw yourself into any and every opportunity you have to practice your medical Spanish terminology and before long, you’ll find yourself connecting with, and offering a much-improved standard of care to the Spanish-speaking patients you treat!
Read: “How long does it really take to learn a language? ”
Final word on the best way to learn medical Spanish So, there you have it! From the basics and immersion to Brainscape’s medical Spanish flashcards and the beauty of making mistakes, we have traversed the panorama of becoming fluent in Spanish and then advancing your skills to encompass medical Spanish, too.
Always remember: practice, cultural curiosity, and full immersion are the coals that keep your linguistic train steaming towards success!
Learning medical Spanish is a fascinating landscape to traverse. And hey, you are not just doing this for yourself and the many international opportunities it affords you but for every patient whose eyes light up when you comprehend their language.
Isn't that reason enough to keep going? ¡Vamos!
