Medical documents play a very important role in the care and treatment of patients. For the people who don’t speak English, these documents need to be translated into a language that they can understand.

Communication is important in any field of life, in medicine it just also has a direct effect on health. So it is important to make sure that whatever is communicated to the patient, is done effectively.

For the patients that speak different languages, you can communicate with the help of medical interpreters, and translation of the medical documents.

Due to the sensitive nature of the documents, translation of medical documents is a highly specialized field. Knowing just the language is not enough for an effective translation, given the challenges of the field.

Translating important documents helps both the patient and the medical staff. The patient understands the instructions and procedures better, while it also helps doctors and nurses understand the details about the patient.

You should consider translating documents like the medical history of the patient, any form of consent signed by the patient, and the instructions after the discharge.

Translation of these documents assures the best care for the patient.

Challenges

We understand that medical translation is important. But when translating, some challenges present themselves.

Extensive Knowledge

With the specific terminologies and jargon, it almost seems like the medical field has a language of its own.

When translating the medical documents, the excessive use of jargons and the free use of acronyms become problematic. It is hard to find the exact meaning because they are defined differently in multiple dictionaries.

To be able to extract the exact meaning of the text, the translator needs extensive knowledge of the field. That is why it is important that you partner up with a firm that can offer industry-specific translators.

Professional translators that have specific knowledge of the industry can translate medical documents like medical records, instructions, manuals, records, and prescription.

Untranslatable Words

Challenges of technical translations are not complete unless we have addressed the silos of untranslatable words.

It is very often in medical documents that the translator comes across the word that does not have a direct equivalent in the language that it is being translated in.

Sometimes, it is quite the opposite. There is a word whose translation is such that it changes the entire meaning of the sentence.

In such a situation the translator needs to make important decisions regarding the usage of the words that will affect the translation of the document. It is important that you give this task to someone you can rely on.

Cost and Quality

One of the main challenges faced when translating medical documents is to find the balance between cost and quality. A bad translation can ruin someone’s life, so there can be no compromise on the quality whatsoever.

However, you don’t always have the means to translate medical documents at a high price. This is where there are chances that the quality might be compromised due to a lesser cost. You may visit Languex translation agency if you require fast, accurate and affordable medical translation services.

The solution to this problem is to find a service provider that provides you with good quality at an affordable price.

Staying Up-to-Date

The world is constantly changing and so is the field of medicine. The terms are constantly changing and the meanings are constantly varying.

This can have a great effect on the translation of the documents, one way or the other. The translator that you hire needs to have up-to-date knowledge about the latest use of terminologies in order to use them effectively.

Benefits of Medical Document Translation

So many challenges, so many problems. Why translate the medical documents at all? Here are a few benefits of medical document translation.

Reducing Stress

Going to doctors isn’t exactly the most leisurely time for the patients. They are already under enough stress already. This stress is only amplified when they can’t even understand what is being told to them.

In their attempt to understand the foreign language they only increase the tension they are feeling. And that can hardly be good for someone who is seeing a doctor.

For the convenience of the patients, it is important that the documents are in a language that they can understand. If not to reduce stress, then to make sure that they follow the instructions right and understand what is being told to them.

Improved Communication

Translated medical documents improve communication at many levels.

It helps the patient understand and communicate better with the doctors about their concerns.

It helps open and easy communication among the medical staff to ensure efficiency and productivity.

The Right Information

Translating medical documents ensures that the right information is conveyed. It prevents the chances of wrong treatment, diagnosis, or any other kind of misunderstanding that can be harmful to the patient.

Recommendation: Hire a Professional Translation Provider

There are many benefits of translating the medical documents, but it is very clear that this has to be done with extra precision. The slightest error in the document can cost someone a lot (their life in many cases).

Thus, these translations need to done by professional translators, to avoid any ambiguity or confusion. It is best to trust the people who are well-versed in the languages and the medical field with your project.

There are several things like the terminologies, etc. that can not be handled by a person who is simply bilingual. The knowledge of the industry is extremely important.

So, it is best to hire a professional translation provider that offers industry-specific experts. They have experience and technology like translation memory that can assist in the effective and accurate translation of your medical documents.

Conclusion

Translating medical documents has become very important at this time. But there are a lot of challenges presented by these technical documents. It is best to look for a suitable provider to help you with the task so you, your staff and your patients can take full advantage of the information and avoid any kind of (potentially lethal) miscommunication.