The need for specialized pharmaceutical translation and interpretation service is growing in recent years. Therefore, language service providers try to meet this growing demand by providing qualified medical interpreters and translators who are certified in accordance with the industry requirements.
The importance of medical translation and interpretation comes from the necessity to provide proper health care services to those US citizens who do not speak English. Medical interpretation is further developing since the adoption of title IV of the Civil Rights Act that stipulates that the provision of interpretation to patients who do not speak English is mandatory and all health care institutions should abide. The service, however, is not only limited to the actual meeting between a patient and a doctor. It needs to extend to properly translating the medical records of the patient in case they are in a different language so that the further treatment can be adequate.
Medical translation also refers to research in the pharmaceutical field, where cross-border cooperation is vital. It helps to see the bigger picture and avoid common pitfalls.
Why is Translation Important for Medical Research?
The world of medical research is developing rapidly in order to meet the demand for efficient and effective medicine development. To that end, international cooperation between research organizations is a way to share ideas, reach better and faster results and reduce the time between the research phase and the actual realization of the drug.
Translation plays a vital role in securing the flawless progress of the process. It is critical to ensure that products meet international standards and adhere to the strict guidelines in the medical field so that they can be successfully launched on the market. The proper translation is critical in this case since a mistranslated term can break the entire undertaking or increase enormously the turnover time.
Therefore, it is important to work with qualified translators and Language Service Providers (LSPs) who have significant experience in the medical field and translation of medical and trial documentation.
There are stringent requirements when it comes to translating medical documentation as the effect may be quite negative and affect human life directly. It is important to ensure immaculate transposition of the foreign regulations and check that the new product translations meet the required standards and formats.
Having a good symbiotic relationship between the medical institution as the client and the LSP is beneficial for the overall translation process. Being open to questions and clarifications and having great attention to detail are qualities that should not be undermined when it comes to medical translations.
Minority Languages in Medical Translation
When we speak of medical translation it involves all aspects of the term and a great variety of content that needs to be translated. Starting from medical literature to patient’s records, each and every translation requires accuracy and precision.
The languages used for the translation are also of great importance. As a rule, it is easier to find translators working with the most popular language combinations: English and Spanish, German, French, Italian and the like. Japanese and Chinese are also getting more popular. Less popular languages, however, are often neglected when it comes to more specialized translations. This paradigm is changing in the field of healthcare since it is recognized that medical translation literally saves lives and so each and every language matters.
As a rule, the language you speak should not be a barrier to access health care and therefore more experts speaking exotic or minority languages are recruited in the field. Their services can be used to translate documentation such as consent forms, patient’s records, diagnosis reports and website content along with medical trial documentation or drug descriptions and leaflets.
The Role of the Medical Interpreter
In addition to translators employed in the medical industry, there is also an ever-increasing demand for medical interpreters who are able to provide quality service to non-English speakers and deaf or hard of hearing patients.
Being an interpreter actively working in the field of healthcare is a tough job that requires a lot of knowledge and dedication combined with personal skills like patience and empathy.
If you want to become a qualified medical interpreter, you need to invest some time in getting the right certification. You need to choose whether you are going to work with deaf patients, or you will interpret for people who do not speak English. In either case, you will serve as the mediator between the patient and the doctor and you will facilitate the communication between them.
Your role as a medical interpreter is to make sure that there is no misunderstanding between the two parties and that both sides are clear with the message. Since the topic is so sensitive, you need to make sure that all details and nuances are properly interpreted so that the doctor can come up with the right diagnosis and the patient can go home with a clear understanding of how to take the prescribed pills, for example. Quite often, the medical interpreter may need to add further clarification or ask questions in order to be able to render the information as accurately and precisely as possible.
The role of medical translators and interpreters is very important for the progress of the medical industry and ensures equal access to health care for every person regardless of the language they do or do not speak. The responsibility of the experts in the field is enormous and hence the requirements for their skills and knowledge are quite high. It takes passion and dedication to work in the field and ability to react to short-notices and work under pressure while remaining fully functional and highly productive. Medical translation and interpretation is a field that many aspiring professionals enter with the aim to help people in need while using the best skills they have.