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เรื่องเสร็จที่
คณะกรรมการซื้อหรือจ้างโดยวิธีเฉพาะเจาะจง
Apr 4, 2018 21:27
6 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Thai term

พนักงานแยกธาตุ

Thai to English Other Other Autopsy
Hi everyone,

From an autopsy report: ความเห็นของแพทย์หรือพนักงานแยกธาตุ

Use of this term online appears largely limited to this extract:
"ในเมื่อมีการจำเป็นเพื่อพบเหตุของการตาย เจ้าพนักงานผู้ทำการชันสูตรพลิกศพมีอำนาจสั่งให้ผ่าศพแล้วแยกธาตุส่วนใด หรือจะให้ส่งทั้งศพหรือบางส่วนไปยังแพทย์หรือพนักงานแยกธาตุของรัฐบาลก็ได้"

The English terms I thought may be appropriate have other translations (coroner, forensic pathologist, medical examiner). I can see a couple of examples of simply "analyst" used as a translation, but this seems too general for the context.

Suggestions/opinions appreciated!

Patrick
Proposed translations (English)
4 postmortem investigator
3 +2 Forensic Autopsy Technician

Discussion

Dylan J Hartmann Apr 13, 2018:
Thanks for the clarification. I was purposely not referring to my entry. I’m only half confident about it, even though it has received peer agreement. I was broadly speaking about finding matching positions/roles used in the target language. However if it was a general description it might include a “ที่” as in “พนักงานที่แยกธาตุ”. I still am not certain about this but hope it can be useful.
Patrick Fitzsimons (asker) Apr 13, 2018:
Position cannot be cited Hey Dylan. That was really what I was asking about your entry: I don't see evidence of this is an actual "position" in Thai, for example a job description of what a พนักงานแยกธาตุ actually does in Thailand, an example of someone with this as a title, a salary, etc., as there is for your English term. (And, for example, as there is for an actual position in Thailand called a ผู้ช่วยเจ้าหน้าที่ชันสูตรศพ that has a similar job description to your Autopsy Technician: http://job.ocsc.go.th/JobShow.aspx?JobID=635660678072683055 ) From the context, it rather seemed to be a more general description. My feeling is that using a term that has a real-world usage in English as a common job title with specific associations would therefore not be accurate.
Dylan J Hartmann Apr 13, 2018:
English reference for the position? A note: While there are references for the action, the position itself cannot be cited. It might be more appropriate selecting translation terms that have real-world usage in the target language rather than inventing new terms. We are translators, not language professors, and I question our right to be so ‘creative’.

Proposed translations

12 hrs
Selected

postmortem investigator

This concept of แยกธาตุ (separating the elements) and its usage here is interesting. The extract you posted seems to come directly from Thai criminal procedural law. There are usages of แยกธาตุ in other contexts that refer to things like the collecting of bones after cremation so the term may already be associated with things postmortem. Here is a usage of แยกธาตุ without the nominalizing พนักงาน.

หากการตรวจภายนอกไม่พอ ตรงนี้กฎหมายเขียนไว้ว่าให้อํานาจเจ้าหนักงานสอบสวนสั่งให้มีการ ผ่าศพ หรือแยกธาตุ

I am guessing that in conducting toxicology report on corpse, the investigation process includes the process of แยกธาตุ. If this is the case this article POST MORTEM EXAMINATION IN CASES OF SUSPECTED POISONING refers to the role of a postmortem investigator, which might work better than general terms like analyst, examining official, or examining officer.
Note from asker:
Thanks Dan, this is helpful.
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks again Dan. I ended up going with your "Postmortem Investigator", as I think it fit the use of พนักงานแยกธาตุ as an accurate ("postmortem") but still general term in the source."
+2
1 day 47 mins

Forensic Autopsy Technician

While searching for job roles concerning autopsies, this seemed like the most relevant equivalent to พนักงานแยกธาตุ

I would suggest either Forensic Autopsy Technician or Autopsy Technician.

"Forensic autopsy technicians, who are most commonly employed by a medical examiner/coroner’s office, work in an autopsy room within a forensic laboratory and alongside forensic pathologists, forensic investigators, and morgue attendants."

As you mentioned, the other terms already have Thai equivalents: coroner/medical examiner: เจ้าหน้าที่ชันสูตรศพ, forensic pathologist: นักวิพากษ์วิจารณ์ทางนิติวิทยาศาสตร์ and พนักงานแยกธาตุ appears to be a lower-ranked position.

From my understanding, the term พนักงาน here would be a similar rank to technician.

https://www.crimesceneinvestigatoredu.org/forensic-autopsy-t...

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Note added at 1 day 3 hrs (2018-04-06 01:02:57 GMT)
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@Patrick, I agree it seems like more of an assistant role. Cause of death may be determined by either doctor or autopsy technician, if straightforward I'm assuming.

The other possible likelihood is that the term is simply an inaccurate translation of the English 'coroner/medical examiner' into Thai. So, rather than finding an exact translation of พนักงานแยกธาตุ, you might be better off using the wider context (unavailable to us) as a guide.

Some native-Thai opinions would be useful here!
Reference:

https://www.crimesceneinvestigatoredu.org/forensic-autopsy-technician/

Note from asker:
Thanks for your response Dylan. I agree that this fits quite well, but I'm not sure the Thai term refers to as specific a role as Autopsy Technician. For example, based on descriptions of the role I don't think an autopsy report in the US would ask for the "Opinion of a Physician or Autopsy Technician", as it seems to be more of an assistant role—what do you think? There is also no info online of this as an actual job in Thailand, or really much general use of the term at all, which leads me to think a more general description may be more appropriate.
Peer comment(s):
agree Theresa Somsri : "พนักงานแยกธาตุ" appears to be the technicians assisting the forensic pathologist. From the extract, this could be translated as "a forensic pathologist or forensic autopsy technician" as forensic pathologists are doctors.
8 hrs
agree Thanyarat Bhalakula
7 days
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