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5 Things To Consider While Translating Medical Reports

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Medical translation as a field is as important as it is necessary in contemporary times. Medical translation service as a profession holds an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for conveying what is written without losing the original essence in a different language altogether. A lot of casualties can be avoided if medical translation is used correctly to its full efficacy. Translation makes sure that the caretakers of the patient understand the procedure of the prescribed treatment in their native language. It also allows medical professionals to stay up-to-date with all the new discoveries and inventions in the field of medicine to help their patients in the best possible way. The need for translation in the medical industry has given rise to a plethora of professional translation services across the globe. Keeping a checklist in hand is a useful way to proceed with medical translation. So, here are 5 things to consider while translating medical reports – 

  • A thorough understanding of the subject matter

Medical translators need to understand the content by bringing together their knowledge of the subject matter and that of their scientific study of language before they even begin the process of translating. Apart from these two tasks, they have the herculean responsibility of making sure that they don’t lose sight of the context at any given point of time. The words might be different but the basic or most important quality of the original text should remain present and fully intact.

  • Succeeding in reading or understanding something that is not clear

Most of the time, medical translation requires the translator to decipher some part of, if not the whole medical document written in someone else’s handwriting. Even a completely typed out and printed document is bound to contain remarks written in hand by the medical professional. This leaves room for the possibility of the text being understood in more than one way. Hence, it is important to double-check what is written before proceeding with the translation.

  • An absolute NO to machine translation

Medical translation needs to be completely manual because of how critical and important it is. The nature of the content is sensitive and can be a matter of life and death for the patient. Hence, it requires human time, effort, and understanding. A machine cannot replace the sensibility that an actual human being brings to the table. Therefore, a medical transcriptionist has the onus of thoroughly understanding the content before translating it. This would help in avoiding casualties that are caused due to the misinterpretation by machines when it comes to translation. 

  • Legal rules and regulations on confidentiality and privacy

While medical translation aims at making information accessible to everyone in the language that they are comfortable with, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that some information needs to remain private and can only be shared if and after the patient has given their consent to the translator who is in charge of translating that individual’s reports or diagnosis for the same. The convenience of translation should never break the agreement of privacy. A good medical translator is ethical in his or her approach towards the subject matter, which is another reason why medical translation cannot be left in the hands of machines and thus require human intervention.

  • Know the audience for whom the content is being translated

The medical translator should be on the same linguistic level as that of his target audience. While abbreviations and fancy words can reduce the size of the document being translated, they are often of no use if the audience for whom it is intended is unable to understand the content even after the translation.

Choosing the best medical translation company might be an extremely tedious task but it is worth every ounce of effort that goes behind finding the right fit for your needs. The best translation companies are the ones that cater to the individual needs of their clients and customise their services accordingly.

VerboLabs has been a pioneer in content writing, subtitling, movie translation services and much more. We've done it for more than 350+ clients in nearly 70+ major global languages. From transcription/translation to subtitling, we can help you out in every step of the way. Not only English subtitles, but we can cater to every other major language. 

To chat or know more about us, visit VerboLabs 

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