Medications have curative and therapeutic powers in the field of healthcare. In other words, as translators we must be responsible for the important information we are dealing with when translating in the field of medicine.
Treatments have a specific purpose and can produce adverse side effects. So, the translator’s job in this context is also linked to promoting health.
Specialization in healthcare translation
Our profession has various areas of specialization and the translation of texts on medications is one of those that currently offers the most professional outlets. It also has great potential for the future as health is one of the aims of social well-being.
Any patient who is taking a medicine must carefully read the information on the leaflet, since they need to be informed about the product they are going to be taking. For this reason, the translator’s job is to provide this information in easy-to-read language, while still keeping it professional.
Our work gives us the satisfaction, not only of using our basic skills to perfection, but also of feeling part of a context as valued and important as medicine, since medications are cures or palliatives that improve people’s quality of life. The power of language is crucial in this sector too!
This profession is very demanding due to its importance and its consequences. For this reason, it is essential for an expert to specialize in this sector so as to be able to do the work with the required accuracy. An error in the language used in the text could lead to serious consequences.
This specialization is vital, since an expert handles complex data, such as the brand names of pharmaceutical companies, acronyms that must be identified, information on products in different formats, chemical and scientific terminology, etc. For this reason, to do this job responsibly and safely, it is advisable for the translator to have the proper training.
If medical and pharmaceutical language is complex in and of itself, it is even worse for those who have no training in this field. This work also involves a cultural knowledge of a particular environment. The translator must have the best possible knowledge of the words and the language used in this medical setting.
It is also necessary to be aware that, given this complex terminology, the patients can often have difficulty in understanding all the information in the leaflet on the conditions of use. For this reason, the work of the translator is to be a facilitator, providing comprehensible information on healthcare.
Professional translation service
SeproTec has offered a high-quality service providing reliable, accurate translations covering all areas of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices for over 25 years.
The translation team is made up of linguists with wide-ranging experience in the sector and professionals from the medical and/or chemicals sector who specialize in translation. They must all undertake 10 test projects before being approved by the SeproTec team.
Our project managers are specialists in all areas of healthcare and in the comprehensive management of all stages of product development, from research and regulatory processes through to marketing and future updates to a medicinal product.