Medical documents are huge part of our lives, and we encounter them every day while reading the recommendations for use on a painkiller package or looking through instructions on how to take a temperature. Medical documents translation doesn’t start or end there, it is also involved in pharmaceutical studies and major clinical trials conducted by healthcare professionals.
In the last two years, we can’t deny that the importance of medical services has grown more than ever. As the virus spread around the world, we all waited for good news of a cure or vaccine. While experts worked tirelessly in every corner of the Earth, translators played a huge role in the distribution of information.
COVID-19 has become part of our everyday lives but there are many more diseases that are being treated right this second, and medication being produced to fight many more.
Translation of medical documents varies depending on the target audience. Patient-facing clinical trial documents require precision as well as good readability, while documents for medical professionals need adequate domain terminology, accuracy, and industry expertise. Taking these different aspects into consideration, the work of medical experts is transmitted into different languages for everyone’s use.
Industries that produce medical documents
There are various industries that produce medical documents and need translation solutions. The document type, its intended users and area of usage create a need for different language solutions.
Let’s take a look at the healthcare industry. These documents are mostly patient-oriented; translation in the healthcare industry assists healthcare providers in treating international patients. Translating documents in accordance with current laws and regulations, as well as using industry-specific terminology is the most vital element in the healthcare industry.
In clinical trials, a study involving international researchers and medical experts requires translation at every step of the process. For most documents aimed at medical experts, translators are required to translate complicated information, using their field expertise and mastery of the terminology. Translations should comply with the current laws and regulations of the countries involved in the research; they need to be precise and delivered fast to avoid slowing down the pace of the project. Monolingual clinical trials can also be conducted. In this case, translation solutions are required when the research goes international, to fully transmit the findings accurately.
Medical services around the globe are intertwined because there is no treatment without clinical trials, no cure without pharmacological research studies. It’s a long journey, starting from identifying the disease to administering the cure to patients. The necessary language solutions differ, depending on the process and document. In pharmacological research studies, the documents range from academic papers and dosing labels, to documents that are solely for medical professionals and documents to inform patients. The required language solution is determined carefully so that the translation serve its intended purpose.
We can all agree that medical devices are a huge part of our lives. Whether it’s the thermometer we use at home or an ECG machine used in hospitals, medical devices allow us to treat, diagnose, prevent, monitor, and predict disease. From design and manufacturing to marketing and instructions for use, translation helps to get medical devices to people in need. Medical devices are designed, manufactured, and distributed under strict regulations.
The adoption of the new Medical Devices Regulation (EU) that entered into force on 26 May 2021 ushered in a new era in medical devices in the European Union. It requires manufacturers to provide their devices in the language or languages of the member state they are intended for. The information needs to be clear and easily understandable. According to the EU MDR, medical device manufacturers are also required to give extensive information to healthcare specialists and patients in the specified languages when asked. With the aim of helping people around the world, professional language solutions are needed to accurately and clearly convey the information.
Thanks to globalization, huge amounts of data are being sent back and forth in the medical industry, and this volume is growing every single day. This amount of information being transmitted in every branch of medical services means that precision, accuracy, and area expertise are vital for the desired outcome. When a person’s life may be affected because of mistranslation, getting help from human language experts is important.
The importance of Human Translation for medical documents
Machine translation constitutes a big part of the language solutions offered around the world, offering fast and accurate content in several industries. However, when a word can affect the course of treatment, or disrupt the pace of a clinical trial, the price of using machine translation solutions may be too high. By using translation and localization solutions offered by expert translators throughout such processes, you are making sure that every piece of information is transmitted thoroughly. Since there is no room for assumptions in the documents, it is vital to get help from professional linguists with expertise in the field.
When it comes to translating medical documents, working with linguists with relevant domain expertise has great significance, because there is nothing more important than a person’s well-being.