The process of translating medical documentation from one language to another is known as translation. Medical translators keep to the original text, as opposed to interpreters who assist patients in communicating with physicians and other health care professionals.
Documents translated in medical translation
The medical sector includes a wide range of specialists, from primary care doctors who identify and treat ailments to technology manufacturers who make assistance gadgets for individuals with limited ability to move. With this level of industrial diversity, a healthcare translation service provides help with a wide range of projects.
The projects in medical translation include:
- Technical information sheets
- Patient records
- Patient guides
- Clinical trials
- Lab results
- Safety guides
- Drug approvals
- Intake forms
- Lectures
- Brochures
- Consent forms
- Health guides
Qualities required for a medical translator
Even though each translator is unique, there are some basic qualities that all medical translators require. Some of them include:
- Beyond fluency, native speakers also have a deep comprehension of their mother tongue. This makes understanding and translating easy and accurate. A medical translator should have a comprehension of the target language similar to that of a native speaker.
- Misunderstanding a diagnosis or the treatment plan due to a translation error puts individual lives in jeopardy and, if the healthcare professional is found responsible, it could land them in trouble. Medical translators should take special care to produce precise translations.