Member Article

Medical Translation: A Lifesaving Service

Translation services can be on a want or need basis, but when it comes to medical translation there’s no question about it. This is a service that can mean the difference between life and death, improve quality of life, and ensure preventative care measures are taken. If you’re an English-speaking American, you may have never experienced how stressful medical situations can be with a language barrier. You’ve likely never avoided seeing a doctor because you couldn’t communicate with them or made do with an at-home remedy because seeking medical help was seemingly impossible without a translator.

Medical translators are a niche subset of certified translators. Consider this passage from the Oxford Journal: “…the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and/or β-hemolytic streptococci in the toe webs (OR, 28.97; 95% CI, 5.47–153.48), presence of leg erosions or ulcers (OR, 11.80; 95% CI, 2.47–56.33), and prior saphenectomy (OR, 8.49; 95% CI, 1.62–44.52). Tineapedisinter digitalis was associated with cellulitis only when toe web bacteria were excluded from the analysis.” Even as a native English speaker, you might need this med-speak translated!

A medical translator is a language specialist that’s fluent in terminology and able to communicate in at least two languages, both professionally (doctor to doctor) and in laymen’s terms (doctor to patient). It’s a very rare and highly skilled profession—and more necessary than you may think. As more people are traveling and we’re all depending on digital devices for communication, today’s medical translators need to not just be great spoken communicators, ideally speaking at least three languages, they also need to be fantastic at written communication.

The New SME

A medical translator should be matched as a subject matter expert (SME) to the appropriate situation. Checks and balances need to be in place, both at the medical facility (ideally) and at the translation services company to make sure there aren’t any glaring disparities and that everyone involved feels understood, heard, and that they are being informed. Medical translators might be hired by pharmaceutical companies, medical professionals, biotech companies, manufacturers of medical devices, treatment centers,or by patients themselves.

These SME translators are also hired to translate medical documents, both hard copy and digital (as many medical offices are slowly transitioning to virtual documentation). For example, what if you move from the US to rural France, and your French medical team can’t read your medical history? What if you get hurt studying abroad? There are many types of medical records that may need translating, including clinical trials, dossiers, informed consent documents, case report forms, or contracts.

Simultaneously, businesses that depend on medical translators, whether medical offices or translation companies, are also facing the need to optimize their web presence via search engine optimization and analytics. Notoriously, medical practices have some of the worst SEO amongst any industry—likely because their priorities are elsewhere! They also suffer from poor review management. However, having a professional, functioning site that’s SEO friendly and easy for patients/customers to find is critical. A medical office is still a business and needs to operate as such in the Digital Era.

Health Matters

As you can imagine, even one mistake in medical translation can have devastating consequences. Improper translation of a prescription, for example, can be lethal. Medical translators should be certified, experienced in the particular medical translation service required, and ideally be passionate about their field. They also need to be focused on time tracking to ensure the fastest delivery of their translation as possible. After all, the client might be placing a life in the hands of the translator.

For medical document translation and in-person, over the phone, or video conferencing services, rely on a qualified medical translation services team to be on your side. Finding one, if your medical provider doesn’t have a connection, might require digging deep into Google searches. Remember, these companies aren’t necessarily up to speed with their page analytics and content management. Finding a translator before it’s urgent is important and should be a top priority.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Hicks Crawford .