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cyclometh · Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 8:46 pm Post subject: Medical acronyms

When doing medical or highly technical copy, do you generally pronounce the acronym, list the letters in it, or use the entire phrase?

The big example I see in some of the copy I'm looking at is NSAID (which stands for "Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug").

Is there a consensus on how this is best spoken when reading text containing it or similar acronyms in a medical context? It could be read as "en-said", "EN-ESS-EH-AYE-DEE" or the full phrase.
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Lizden · Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:12 pm Post subject:

It totally depends on the acronym.
You have to ask the client how they want each said.
It varies by client....better not to guess....and it prevents re-takes on the back end.

That said "NSAID" - in scripts that I've gotten - has been: "EN-said"
(like "he said/she said")
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cyclometh · Posted: Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:36 pm Post subject:

Thank you kindly for the reply, Liz!
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Bruce · Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2010 6:35 am Post subject:

A fairly obvious rule is if the acronym is unpronounceable then spell it out, and if it's easily pronounceable then you do pronounce it as a word, as in a PET scan. Everything in between, like NSAID...good luck. And all that being said, there are lots of exceptions. Ask your doctor.....or you might try referencing some of the medical pronunciation sites noted in our LEARN section on this site. Some may do acronyms.

And it's like Liz said, EN-sed.

BFM
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Donna · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:00 am Post subject:

NSAID-- eether/ayether. I have had producers who preferred EN-sayd.

Just sezzin.
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SkinnyJohnny · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:35 am Post subject:

Scott Pollak · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 7:52 am Post subject:

I just did a medical narration this week and had to ask the client how they wanted certain acronyms pronounced. While I agree with the rule - IN GENERAL - that if it's pronounceable as a word you'd normally say it as a word - you should still always check with the client.

On an aside; in the '80's I was a video producer for the phone company. Talk about a company big on acronyms; hoo boy. I was also an artist and did a lot of little funny newsletters and cartoons while I was there.

One of everyone's favorite was a drawing I did of a typical old-school office door; the type with a big pane of frosted glass in the middle of the door. On the glass, stenciled in large letters was:

DO-TUNA

And below, in smaller letters:

"Dept. of Thinking Up New Acronyms"
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todd ellis · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:32 am Post subject:

ask the client - BUT - i have used NSAID probably 500 times over the past year - and my client always wants "EN-said" (that's actually a pretty common one) ... ask for a list of questionable items at the beginning of the project - it'll save you both time.
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asnively · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 9:53 am Post subject:

You mean "en SADE," right?
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 10:35 am Post subject:

As Felix Unger would have said:

"Never assume. If you assume, you make an ASS out of U and ME."

Always better to ask and deliver what the client wanted than to guess and risk delivering what was not wanted.
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cyclometh · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:09 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the information, folks. For clarification, this isn't for a paying gig, but for a demo I'd like to put together of some jargon-heavy medical text, so I can get jobs where I ask someone how they want the acronym pronounced. Wink

Appreciate all the feedback!
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 1:32 pm Post subject:

SkinnyJohnny · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 4:19 pm Post subject:

So, I guess it would be In-Shar-Day then! Wink

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bobbinbeamo · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:09 pm Post subject:

I always ask my clients how they wish acronyms to be stated.
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melissa eX · Posted: Sat Dec 18, 2010 6:55 pm Post subject: