Largely, the importance and need for professional interpreters or translators is still widely misunderstood. “What does a translator do?” “Are they really that important?” “People at my work speak different languages, so I don’t think we really need that kind of service” are all common questions and statements by people encountering professional linguistic services for the first time. However, those in the healthcare industry know from experience that professional medical translation and interpreting services are essential, and can even save lives.
Medical Translation | What Do Linguistic Services for Healthcare Providers Cover?
As the world globalizes, and language barriers become more present in day to day interactions, professional linguists help individuals get the services they need regardless of the language they speak. Nowhere is this more important than in the medical industry where unclear communication puts patient’s lives at risk.
The two basic services a linguistic service provider (LSP) can offer to medical and healthcare providers to help overcome these barriers, are professional medical translation and medical interpreters.
The difference between the two, while subtle, is important. Medical translators provide linguistic services for written text (such as patient or hospital records, instructions for taking medications, health information and brochures etc.), while medical interpreters provide linguistic services for spoken communication (such as during patient-doctor visits).
Both require specific training in order for their services to be carried out faithfully, and as such a translator and an interpreter can’t always be used interchangeably.
At first it may seem unnecessary to hire professionals to perform these jobs when bilingual staff and family members are often on hand for individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP).
While it often seems more cost effective to provide linguistic services this way, there are important reasons why professional life sciences translation services should always be acquired when possible.
Medical Translation | Why You Shouldn’t Choose a Bilingual Individual Over a Professional Medical Linguist
As opposed to someone who is bilingual or very proficient in more than one language, a professional translator or interpreter possesses skills and knowledge acquired through educational and professional training. Hiring an agency for your medical translation services will take the guesswork out of finding a translator, or interpreter, who is qualified for your needs.
Medical Translators
To name but a few things, a person who provides professional medical translation is aware that directly translating a text is not enough. The job requires the translator convey the integrity of the whole message from one language to another. This means addressing cultural and social conventions as well as just translating the intended message.
During the process of translating medical texts and documents, a professional translator is aware of each essential step, including forward translation, back translation (when necessary), proofreading, and review. They also understand how to incorporate cultural adaptation of language and formatting for a particular target patient population.
Depending on what materials need to be translated, and what they will be used for, this adaptation could range from small changes in word choice, to full out explanations of diseases or medical practices that the patient may not be aware of. This is to say nothing of potential changes in pictures, colors, and other culturally significant formatting and design elements.
Moreover, the professional medical translator is knowledgeable about medical subject matter, and uses accepted standard terminology for the medical industry – in both the source and target languages. Glossaries of accepted medical terms and parallel texts from previous such translations are used by the translator.
In this manner, accuracy and clear understanding of what is translated is ensured, something that is especially crucial when it comes to patient care.
Medical Interpreters
Meanwhile, providing medical interpretation requires more than the ability to repeat conversations. Like a translator, the interpreter may run into instances where words or concepts don’t have direct translations due to linguistic or cultural barriers – and thus an accurate, and adapted, oral explanation must be provided.
On top of that, interpreters need to be trained in a strict code of ethics – involving how interpretation must be provided.
This not only incorporates how an interpreter conveys the dialogue between parties, but also the need to remain extremely faithful to what each party says (practically word for word when possible), unbiased, and emotionally un-involved.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues about not using professional medical interpreters, is that the role is often filled with patient family members.
This puts the conversation, and treatment, at risk as family members can choose to omit or change the dialogue if they feel a particular way about how their relative is being, or should be, treated.
To sum it all up:
Choosing an un-trained linguist can raise the risk of mistakes. Even the smallest translation or interpretation mistake can put the life of the patient at peril.
Medical Translation | Small Mistakes That Can Cost Lives
There have been several cases in which a translation error, specifically with interpreting, has resulted in medical negligence.
For example, in 1980, an 18-year-old named Willie Ramírez, of Latino descent, arrived in a comatose state to a Florida hospital. His friends and family only spoke Spanish so, when they tried to explain to the doctors what happened to Willie, they were assisted by a bilingual hospital staff member.
However, the staff member translated the Spanish word “intoxicado” into English as “intoxicated”. While in Spanish “intoxicado” has more to do with poisoning, in English the term “intoxicated” has connotations of alcohol or drug abuse.
Ramirez’s family thought that his symptoms were a result of food poisoning, but the interpreter instead told the doctors as he had drank too much alcohol. In fact, Willie Ramirez was suffering from an intracerebral hemorrhage.
Due to the delay of his treatment for the correct condition, he was left quadriplegic and received a malpractice settlement of $71 million. Had a professional interpreter been used, the difference between the Spanish and the English term would not have been confused, and the situation could have been avoided.
Taking all this into account, the importance of hiring professional translation and interpreting services seems pretty obvious when it comes to the medical industry.
However, this still leaves the question of how to choose the correct LSP for your needs.
3 Tips for Choosing the Proper Medical Translation and Interpretation Services
When looking for medical translation companies, you need to keep the following three tips in mind:
- The translator or translators that are in charge of your project should be proficient in both the source and target languages
- Expertise in the subject matter should also be compulsory, so that they are familiar with specific terminology, requirements and writing style of the industry
- Make sure that the document or documents go through a thorough quality assurance process, so that there are no mistakes
Mistakes in a medical translation or interpretation can cost much more than money. Make sure you are not putting your patients’ health at risk by using a bad translation service!
Learn more about our Life Sciences Translation Services!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
Language Connections Inc.
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Boston, MA 02135
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