Medical translation is the adaptation of field-specific texts related to medicine, health care, and pharmaceuticals into another language. This field is one of the most complex and vital because it requires authenticity, accuracy, compliance with linguistic norms, and completeness. Translation of medical documents requires high-level professionalism because any translation inaccuracy or mistake can lead to consequences seriously impacting a patient or a physician.
Clinical Cases, or Types of Medical Translations
The types of medical translations differ in purpose, scope, inherent characteristics, and format. Such translated content can be used in various areas, including research, clinical practice, education, and marketing. For example, a scientific article translated into another language can help spread knowledge and research findings in other countries. Translating medical documents is necessary when treating patients from other countries.
In our years-long practice, we have encountered various types of medical translation, each having its features and unique requirements.
Translation of Instructions for Medical Devices
Such materials include descriptions of procedures and the sequence of actions when working with a device. Often these types of translations contain diagrams, captions to illustrations and charts, as well as detailed descriptions of steps and order of the manipulations to be performed.
Accuracy: Such translation must conform to the terminology of the original to the most extent since errors here can lead to equipment misuse and possible negative consequences for patients.
Terminology: Medical and technical terms require precise and consistent translation to avoid ambiguity and misunderstanding. Therefore, to translate the text most accurately, a translator must have a thorough knowledge of the medical and technical terminology as well as of the described procedures.
Comprehensibility: The translation must be comprehensible and understandable for physicians and medical personnel who use the equipment, but at the same time, professional and meet industry requirements.
Compliance with standards: The translation must comply with the standards applicable in the country of use.
Medical Translations for Training and Marketing
These are translations of training and promotional materials, medical articles, brochures, patient guides, presentations, and other resources used to educate students, physicians, and other medical professionals or to promote medical products and services.
Adaptation to the target audience: It is essential to adapt the translation to the level of training and understanding of the audience: the text should be understandable, easily accessible, and appropriate to the target audience’s different levels of knowledge and interests.
Stylistics: The translation should have a style appealing to the target audience and promoting a product or a service. It is important to consider the material format and the degree of formality and to select a translator with excellent analytical skills and deep knowledge of the source culture and target languages.
Accuracy: Medical texts for training and marketing should not allow inaccuracies or errors that could lead to misunderstanding products or services.
Patient Materials, Translations of Trial Protocols
This category of materials includes document translations pertaining to clinical trials, encompassing protocols, result reports, investigator manuals, consent forms, surveys, and various other documents.
Abbreviations: This kind of translation comprises many specific medical terms and abbreviations that may have no equivalent in English, German, French, or other target languages and require transcription or descriptive translation. As a result, the text should not contain specific and obscure terms but, at the same time, should look professional.
Regulatory compliance: The translation must comply with the rules and regulations applicable in the country where the clinical trial will be conducted and should be correctly drafted.
Confidentiality: Translations of clinical trials may contain sensitive information (e.g., consent forms or surveys), so a translator must also guarantee confidentiality when dealing with such documents.
Translation of Medical Device Interfaces
This is a highly challenging, demanding, and at the same time, complex process of translation of text elements, indicators, symbols, buttons, and other elements of the medical device user interface. The quality of medical device interface translations is critical because inaccurate translations can lead to errors in equipment usage and severe health consequences for patients or physicians.
Accuracy and consistency of terms: The interface translation should be as correct and accurate as possible to prevent errors and misunderstandings while using medical equipment. To ensure uniformity and consistency of terms, it is necessary to use a glossary provided by the client or the dedicated team (this is a prerequisite for translating medical texts and, in particular, the equipment interface).
Localization: A translation should be adapted to a specific country (or region) and made with the local culture, legislation, measurement system, etc., in mind.
Context: Consider the context to provide an accurate translation. The main object of a medical device interface translator is to convey the content of the text to be translated clearly and as precisely as possible so that the user knows exactly rather than guesses about a particular function or button.
Visual component: A translation must fit into the design and ergonomics of the medical equipment interface so as not to compromise its integrity and functionality, which is why it is vital to respect line length limitations. It is prohibited to truncate phrases or letters; if necessary, it is better to use standard abbreviations.
Testing: Translations of the medical device interface must be checked and tested before release. This stage allows eliminating all grammatical and visual inaccuracies.
Adverse Events or Difficulties of Medical Translation
High-quality requirements for medical translations are stipulated because these texts are directly related to human life and health. It is essential to understand the consequences of specific linguistic errors: some may be minor and cause some confusion, while others may be severe and lead to misdiagnosis, mistreatment, or even death.
Main Problems of Medical Text Translations:
- Features of use, including the use of terms and the preferred use of parts of speech (MRI, ECG, CT scan, laparoscopy, injections, physical therapy, rehabilitation after illness or injury, therapy with drugs, etc.)
- Terminological synonymy, polysemy, and homonymy (synonymy: depending on the context, “bronchitis” can be translated as “бронхіт” or “запалення бронхів”; homonymy: “reproductive effects” as “репродуктивні ефекти” instead of “вплив на репродуктивну систему”; “angina” as “ангіна” instead of “стенокардія”; “doze” as “доза” instead of “в’ялість”; polysemy: “medicine” can mean both “медицина” and “ліки” or “лікування”)
- Mistranslation of dosage and instructions for use (e.g., translating 100 mg as “100 mcg” instead of “100 mg” or “apply twice daily” as “наносити двічі на тиждень” instead of “наносити двічі на день”)
- Mistranslation of medical terms and disease names (e.g., “acute lymphoblastic leukemia” as “гострий лімфатичний лейкоз” instead of “гострий лімфобластний лейкоз” or “інсуліновий шок” as “insulin shock” instead of “інсулінова кома”
- Difficulties with abbreviation translation (e.g., the abbreviation CP can have different translations: Campilobacter pyloridis — “кампілобактер пілоричний”; cardiac pool — “об’єм серця”; Clinical Pharmacology — “клінічна фармакологія”; chronic pancreatitis — “хронічний панкреатит”; chest pain – “біль у грудях”; chiken pox — “вітряна віспа”; child psychiatry — “дитяча психіатрія”, and many others)
- Translation of medical organizations and differences in the organization of the healthcare system in different countries (different healthcare models are used in different countries: general practice systems, compulsory healthcare insurance systems, or systems based on health centers)
- Errors in grammar and spelling (e.g., “антибромботичні препарати” instead of “антитромботичні препарати”)
Medical Assessment, or Why You Should Choose Kenaz
Medical translation is a highly demanding field of the translation industry as it requires accurate information conveyance and confidentiality. Entrusting such translation to professionals, you can be sure of its high quality and applicability for the intended purpose.
Kenaz Translation Agency has over 15 years of experience in medical translations into various languages and engages only professional medical translators with the appropriate education and experience. We collaborate with practicing experts in multiple fields, and our translations undergo regular independent quality control according to industry standards to maintain our services at the highest level and prevent our clients from having a heart attack.