Strictly speaking, I'm not a dedicated linguist. Actually, I've never received any formal higher linguistic education.
However, I received a profound 9-year training in English while studying at a specialized secondary school, and further on, when studying medical English at a medical university. This training enabled me to read international literature on Clinical Surgery and Medicine, maintain contacts with my colleagues worldwide, work as a lecturer in an English-speaking country, and finally become a medical translator - at first for Russian publishing houses and translation companies, and a little later - for foreign translation companies as well.
Besides, I'm a retired surgeon with about 30 years of past experience in various fields of general, cardiothoracic and trauma surgery, oncology, pulmonology, endoscopy and specific management of tuberculosis, having a PhD degree, rank of Associate Professor, 15-year experience of working as a lecturer in postgraduate medical education, and being a member of virtual (Internet) international surgical communities for more than 12 years.
Thus, despite being fluent in reading media and fiction literature, as well as in speaking everyday English, I chose to concentrate my translator's activities at medical/pharmacological translation - a field where I do have certain professional experience.
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