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French to English translations [PRO] Medical - Psychology / After a concussion caused by a car accident
French term or phrase:L'affect est mobilisable
I know that 'affect' and 'mobilizable' are both acceptable terms in medical writing, but I am concerned that the concept would be phrased differently.
More context:
"La pensée abstraite est possible et l'expression verbale se fait à rythme légèrement ralenti. Il n'est pas possible pour nous de distinguer l'origine de ce rythme d'élocution (origine post- traumatique ou pré-accidentel). L'affect est mobilisable, bien que les discussions lors du suivi sont le plus souvent à tonalité rationnelle. Il comprend bien le but des rencontres en neuropsychologie."
In a report from a neuropsychologist.
(Canadian French)
Explanation: The assessment of affect is the objective assessment of the patient's emotional state. It tends to be categorised using a number of clichés, which are indicative of the diagnostic hypothesizing of the clinician. There's a nice list of "acceptable" English adjectives to describe affect in the reference. ["Types of affect include: euthymic, irritable, constricted; blunted; flat; inappropriate, and labile."]
The essence of the first sentences quoted are that the patient speaks slowly. (This may be due to his pre-morbid personality, the brain injury, or depression secondary to disability.)
The statement that the "affect can be mobilised" is clear enough as an English phrase, and there are good theoretical grounds for just going with that, viz. Walter Benjamin. But it would sound rather strange to a clinician accustomed to dealing in the well-worn descriptive clichés.
Here, the patient's affect is within normal limits, i.e. not blunted (despite the slow speech), and not labile ("à tonalité rationelle").
Could it mean "affect is variable"? Whatever you say for "mobilisable", you should definitely use "affect".
Automatic update in 00:
Answers
2 hrs confidence:
The affect is not blunted
Explanation: The assessment of affect is the objective assessment of the patient's emotional state. It tends to be categorised using a number of clichés, which are indicative of the diagnostic hypothesizing of the clinician. There's a nice list of "acceptable" English adjectives to describe affect in the reference. ["Types of affect include: euthymic, irritable, constricted; blunted; flat; inappropriate, and labile."]
The essence of the first sentences quoted are that the patient speaks slowly. (This may be due to his pre-morbid personality, the brain injury, or depression secondary to disability.)
The statement that the "affect can be mobilised" is clear enough as an English phrase, and there are good theoretical grounds for just going with that, viz. Walter Benjamin. But it would sound rather strange to a clinician accustomed to dealing in the well-worn descriptive clichés.
Here, the patient's affect is within normal limits, i.e. not blunted (despite the slow speech), and not labile ("à tonalité rationelle").
The translation workplace 
