How Much Do Medical Translation Services Cost?

    Danilo Coviello

    Translating complex medical content is a highly skilled task requiring the services of a specialist translation service. The cost of these translation projects depends on a variety of factors but in general, medical documents do cost more to translate than other texts.

    The cost of medical translation services is accurately reflected by the complexity of the terminology, the need for absolute precision and the translatorโ€™s required expertise in medical matters. There is no room for error in a health care document and medical translators are often retired doctors or hold a medical degree. Due to the need for absolute accuracy and precision, the average medical translation costs will be higher than regular documents.

    Espresso Translations has a certified medical translation team who carry out this vital service in the United Kingdom and around the globe. Working in more than 150 languages and with specialist expertise, our qualified translators work on various projects including medical texts, pharmaceutical research, patient records and drug data sheets.

    What Factors Influence Medical Translation services cost?

    The factors that affect the cost of medical translations include the type of document, complexity, certification, length, language combination, formatting and turnaround time.

    Letโ€™s take a look at each of these factors in turn.

    Type of document

    The type of document that requires translation will have a significant effect on the translation cost. There are a number of different texts that require a medical translation such as:

    Request a quote
    • Medical reports
    • Instructions for medical devices
    • Research papers
    • Clinical trial results
    • Patient records
    • Correspondenceย 

    In reality, any document, file or text that relates to the medical industry can be translated but this should always be done by a subject matter expert and qualified translator.

    Complexity of the text 

    The majority of medical translation services involves many medical terms and use of jargon that would be unfamiliar to a non-medical translator. This is why the translators at Espresso Translations who carry out these services have specialized knowledge of the health care industry and understand the language used. This then influences the translation cost.

    Type of certification

    Depending on where the translation is being presented or who the requesting authority is, you may need one of four different certification types for your medical translation. This may be a:

    • Certified translation which is accompanied by a statement of truth that attests that the translation is a full and accurate representation of the source document. This form of certification costs from ยฃ30 plus VAT. Certified translations are accepted by all UK authorities, public bodies and most other organisations in the country.ย 
    • Sworn translations are carried out by a sworn translator who takes the translated document in front of a public official and swears an oath that it is a true and accurate representation of the original. This costs from ยฃ50 plus VAT. Sworn translations are usually requested by civil law countries such as in most of continental Europe.
    • Notarized translations are countersigned by a public notary to confirm the identity of the translator. Their signature does not verify the accuracy of the translation, this is confirmed by the translatorโ€™s signature. Notarized translations cost from ยฃ90 plus VAT.
    • Legalised translations also called apostille translations. These carry a stamp which confirms that they are legally valid in countries which are signatories of the Hague Convention. A legalised translation costs from ยฃ90 plus VAT.

    Length of the document

    The medical documentโ€™s length will affect the cost of translation services with longer documents needing more work by the translator and therefore taking longer. This is potentially the element that affects the overall cost of a medical translation more than any others.

    Language pair

    The language pair refers to the source language, which is the language the document is originally written in and the target language, which is the language the client wants the text translated into. This language combination also affects the total cost with rare or unusual language combinations costing more due to the lower number of translators specialising in them. 

    Formatting required

    Formatting medical documents is another factor that influences the cost of translation. If the translation needs to replicate the formatting of the original document e.g. superimposing text over images, reproducing the layout or recreating watermarks, this will increase the cost of the process.

    Request a quote

    Turnaround time

    Finally, the turnaround time will affect how much medical translation costs. If the translation needs to be done as a matter of urgency, we offer an expedited delivery which will incur slightly higher fees. Hard copies of the translations which need to be posted will attract a small extra cost. 

    Why are medical translations more expensive than regular ones?

    Medical documents attract higher rates for translation because of the highly technical and specialized nature of the material. The very nature of medical translation and its relationship to human health and wellbeing means it requires a high degree of knowledge, accuracy and precision. This is why an estimate for translating a medical document will typically be higher than for a standard translation. 

    A medical translation needs to be a faithful representation of the original document. So while the language is changed, the content and context of the material needs to be precisely retained. 

    As many medical translators are retired doctors with a wealth of experience, this knowledge and expertise comes at a cost. It must be remembered also that the translator of medical content bears a heavy responsibility for the accuracy and faithfulness of the translation. Peopleโ€™s lives could be in the balance and this is reflected in how much these services will cost.

    How is medical translation priced per word or page?

    Some translation companies price their services per word while others may charge per page. At Espresso Translations, we charge per word as we feel this is a more accurate method and fairer for our clients. 

    For any document or text, the number of words can remain the same while being spread over varying number of pages depending on the layout, size of the font and formatting. Therefore, we prefer to price per word, as this remains constant while the number of pages can vary. 

    What are medical translation rates per word?

    At Espresso Translations, we offer translations to and from English at a cost of between ยฃ0.08 and ยฃ0.15 per source word. The source language is the original language of the text which is then translated into another language, referred to as the target language. 

    We charge per source word, that is the number of words in the document that we are translating as we feel this is a fairer means of charging clients.

    How To Choose a Medical Translation Agency?

    The best way to choose a medical translation agency is through recommendation. At Espresso Translations, we provide professional translators who are subject matter experts in many areas of medicine, pharmacology and scientific research. These accredited translators are native speakers of your target language and fluent in the source language of your documents. With the ability to work in more than 150 languages, there is no language combination that we cannot help you with. 

    We also have dedicated project managers for all our clients to ensure that the translation process is as efficient and effective as possible. Your translation will be assigned to the person best qualified to carry it out. When the translation is complete, it will be passed to a second linguist with the same language skills as the first and they will proofread your translation. Your project manager will do final quality control checks to ensure everything is complete.

    Also read: How to become a medical translator?

    How Can You Save Money Without Compromising Quality?

    Espresso Translations offers competitive pricing on all our translation services including translating medical content and we never compromise on quality, even when meeting tight deadlines. 

    When dealing with document translation related to healthcare and medicine, you need to use a qualified, professional translator or agency to guarantee high-quality results.

    The average cost for this level of service is not cheap. However, because of the nature of the content, itโ€™s important not to use unqualified services or machine translation in order to save money. Affordability and budget are important but the quality of the translation should always be the priority.

    How can I get a quote for medical translation services?

    To get a translation quote for medical documents or texts, simply fill in our contact form with all the requested information and send it to us. We will get back to you within an hour with a detailed quote and an estimated turnaround time. 

    The price that you are quoted is the price that you will pay as Espresso Translations has no hidden costs or extras. If you do require additional services, we are happy to quote for those too.

    FAQs

    How do freelance translators differ from agencies in pricing?

    While freelancer translators can set their own prices and potentially offer a lower average price, you need to be clear about what their service includes. At Espresso Translations, as well as a professional translation, you will get the services of a dedicated project manager, proofreading and quality control checks on every project.

    Does the cost vary depending on the specific medical field?

    The translation of medical documents requires deep knowledge of the specific medical field that it relates to. For this, the translators will either be retired healthcare professionals from that field or suitably qualified to ensure accurate content. This specialisation can increase the translation cost. 

    What risks come with choosing low-cost translation services?

    The requirements for medical translations are  expertise, medical knowledge, linguistic ability in the source and target languages and experience. None of these prerequisites are likely to be provided by low translation services. This could have serious consequences for the client in relation to patient health, reputation, financial costs or litigation. Engaging an accredited, professional translation agency such as Espresso Translations removes those risks.

    GET A QUOTE