As a leading provider of translation services, Espresso Translations has a global network of professional translators. Among them are qualified linguists with deep knowledge of medical services or the pharmaceutical industry who carry out high quality medical translations for a range of clients.
What is medical translation?
Medical translation is the conversion of medical or pharmaceutical documents, texts or files from one language to another. It is a highly specialised form of translation with specific terminology, regulations and procedures.
The healthcare and medical sectors that require translations of medical documents include:
- Clinical
- Pharmacological
- Academic
- Technical
Each of these areas use documents, files, manuals, guides, instructions, records and labels which may need to be translated into several languages for various reasons. Translating medical documents requires precision, accuracy and faithfulness to the original so that the meaning and context is retained.
For these reasons, we highly recommend that all medical and pharmaceutical translations be carried out by qualified and accredited medical translators.
Why is medical translation important?
Medical translation is very important for several reasons:
- To ensure clear and complete understanding of medical information for health professionals, patients, laboratory workers, medical device users, etc
- To share important research, knowledge and understanding of illnesses, treatments, therapies and outcomes
- Education, e.g. text books, research papers, instruction manuals, user guides
- Regulatory compliance, e.g. EU MDR for medical device makers
Healthcare translation services such as those offered by Espresso Translations, provide the means for pharmaceutical companies, healthcare sector organisations and medical device manufacturers to overcome language barriers. This allows information to be shared across borders, cultures and linguistic differences for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and the medical industry.Being able to communicate information accurately is also vital for patient safety and wellbeing.
When dealing with health care, pharmacology and patient engagement, accurate and complete translation of documents, files and texts is crucial. The patient’s health, wellbeing and safety depends on medical records, clinical trial results or medical leaflets being precisely translated.
Patients expect a high level of care even when they don’t speak the language and rightly so. Language should not be a barrier to proper healthcare in the 21st century.
What types of documents are translated in medical translation?
The types of documents that require translation vary but can include:
- Medical product descriptions
- Vaccination certificates
- Clinical trial documentation
- Research papers
- Medication instructions
- Patient records
- Medical textbooks
- Case studies
- Medical procedure protocols
- Pharmaceutical guidelines
This is not an exhaustive list and there are many other types of texts, documents and files that can be designated as medical and which may need to be translated into one or more languages.
What challenges are faced in medical translation?
The challenges faced by those who work in certified medical translation typically fall into three distinct categories; terminology, regulatory and legal.
Specialist Terminology
- Translators of medical terminology must fully understand all the terms and language used to be able to accurately translate
- There is no flexibility in medical, pharmaceutical translation, everything must be exact with no room for interpretation
- Medicine is a constantly evolving industry so translators must keep up to date with new treatments, therapies, medical devices or other relevant information
Regulatory Compliance
- All translations should meet the ISO 17100 quality standard for translation
- Certain regulations such as the EU MDR which governs production and distribution of medical devices in Europe also includes the need to supply all documentation in the 24 official languages of the EU. Translators must abide by this regulation and others like it.
Consequences of Incorrect Translation
Incorrect translation of medical documents, files, paperwork, records or texts can have serious and potentially, fatal consequences.
- Clinical mistakes can have repercussions for the health and wellbeing of the patient in the form of an inaccurate medical diagnosis, incorrect medication dosages or the wrong therapy.
- Mistranslations, errors or omissions can result in legal action against pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, medical device manufacturers, etc.
- Pharmacological translation errors may result in mislabelling of medications with the potential to cause harm to patients.
The medical translation team at Espresso Translations has a series of quality control processes in place to guard against errors. Our certified translation service in the medical field and health care provide the highest level of service and expert knowledge to all our clients. We understand the need for error free translation in all areas of medical translation.
What is The Process of Medical Translation?
The process of medical translation at Espresso Translations is rigorous. We ensure that each translation project from NHS documents to product packaging for pharmaceuticals is conducted with stringent quality control measures and the most qualified translators in our team.
Contact Espresso Translations
The translation process begins with you contacting Espresso Translations for a free quote. You can get in touch via our online contact form to provide the following information:
- Your name
- Email address
- Whether you are a private individual or a company
- Type of translation certification you require, e.g. certified, sworn, notarised or legalised (apostilled)
- The source and target languages also known as the language pair
- Required delivery date or turnaround time
- Your project brief with your requirements for formatting and any other special instructions
When you have filled in the form, you can upload the files you want to have translated. You will have a dedicated account manager from the moment your quote request reaches us. This manager will search our global medical translation team for the most qualified person to handle your project.
Medical translation process
All our translators are native speakers of the target language and fluent in the source language. They will also have the required subject matter expertise for the project and each has more than five years experience in the translation industry.
In medical translations, the translator will have a background in the specific area of medicine, pharmaceuticals or research that the project relates to.
Once you have accepted the quote, your translation will be sent to this translator who will complete it according to your instructions including formatting. When they have finished, it will be returned to the account manager who will send it to a second linguist for proofreading.
Best Practices for High Quality Translations
This second translator will have the same qualifications as the first. When they have checked the documents or files, the translation will be sent to your dedicated account manager who will carry out final quality control checks. The finalised translation will be sent to you for your approval.
At every stage of the translation process, your documents or files will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and data security. We are GDPR and Privacy Shield compliant as well as ISO 17100 certified, the highest standard in the translation industry.
Who Needs Professional Medical Translation Services?
There is a large market for professional medical translation services with multiple sectors requiring this expertise.
Pharmaceutical field
There are many areas within pharmaceutical companies that require translation services including their research and development departments, clinical trials, manufacturing, marketing and regulatory requirements. Each of these areas generates a lot of documents, files and literature that may need to be translated.
Hospitals
The type of paperwork within hospitals that may require translation includes:
- Patient medical records
- Regulatory compliance documents
- Test results
- Discharge letters
- Consent forms
There are many more documents, texts and files that may need to be translated for various purposes.
Medical device manufacturers
As with pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers also have many types of documents that require translation particularly in relation to the EU Medical Device Regulation and similar regulations elsewhere.
Research facilities
Research facilities generate a lot of paperwork which may need to be translated in order to share it with peers, laboratories, health authorities or regulatory agencies. These include protocols, schedule of events and organisation information documents.
Regulatory agencies
Medical regulatory agencies produce a vast amount of paperwork, much of which may require translation. These documents include clinical trial protocols, marketing applications and registration applications for new drugs or devices.
How can I find a reliable medical translator?
Espresso Translations is a leading language agency based in the UK, with a global network of translators, many of whom specialize in medical translation. We offer translating and interpreting services for healthcare, pharmaceutical organisations and corporations, medical professionals and individuals. Whatever your translation needs, we can guarantee reliability, efficiency, accuracy and cost effectiveness.
We’ve worked with professional NHS bodies as well as individual patients. Every translation is treated with the same level of confidentiality, attention to detail, precision and high-quality customer service. Contact us today to discuss your medical translation needs and request a quote.
Our multilingual team operate in more than 150 languages, so whatever you require, we have a translator or interpreter who is perfect for the task. We can also help with transcription, website translation, legal documents and anything else you may need translated.
If you’re wondering how long medical translation takes, it depends on the length of the document, the language pair, the complexity of the language and the type of translation certification you need. Sworn and notarised translations typically take a little longer as they require the input of a third party, i.e. a court official or notary public which can add to the turnaround time.
From healthcare providers to private individuals, thousands of people trust Espresso Translations to work on their medical translation project. Communication is essential to the process, from our friendly customer service team to your dedicated project manager, we will keep you informed throughout our collaboration.
What is the cost of medical translation?
Espresso Translations offers competitive prices on all our translations. Depending on the type of certification that you require, costs are as follows:
- Certified translation accompanied by a signed and stamped statement of truth costs from £30 plus VAT
- Sworn translation complete with signed affidavit costs from £50 plus VAT
- Notarised translation accompanied by a signature and stamp from a notary public as validation of the identity of the translator costs from £90 plus VAT
- Legalised translation with apostille certificate costs from £90 plus VAT
We are committed to providing timely translations which never compromises the quality of the work. Choose from 48 hours, 24 hours or same day delivery, depending on the particulars of your project. For urgent translations, call us to discuss what you need, we’re always happy to help.
At Espresso Translations, we use human rather than machine translation and all our linguists only translate into their mother tongue. This ensures a more natural sounding translation, complete with all the nuances of the target language. Our objective is always to provide you with the most accurate, complete and professional translation which exactly meets your needs and expectations.
