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Translation or interpretation – what’s it?
Let’s start with a common confusion.
People searching for medical terminology translation services often mistake these two terms as synonymous. Which is not precisely accurate.
- Translation deals with written text, while interpretation handles the spoken aspect.
- A medical translator is one who translates such written words as patient case reports or medical-legal documents.
- A medical interpreter is someone who is hired for their ability to communicate verbally. So that patients and healthcare providers who don’t share a common language can effectively understand each other.
This is how we differentiate the two on a more general level. Please note that this post will only cover things around medical translation, i.e. written content. Many companies that offer professional medical terminology translation services also offer services around medical interpretation. So you can always seek consultation as per your needs.
Must it be a specialist medical translator?
Do you need certified language translation services for your medical business? Hire a specialist medical translator, always. Why? Because the medical translation is different from translations used in business or everyday life. You cannot afford the risks associated with mistranslation or miscommunication in your medical document.
An incorrect legal and medical translation can render a clinical trial ineffective, cause people to die, lead to failure in research projects, and more. So, be very careful in your decisions.
Dealing with terminologies in healthcare
If a patient speaks little English, it holds them back from understanding what problems have afflicted them. Therefore, the accuracy of medical terminologies is paramount. Otherwise, it can lead patients to unnecessary diagnosis and costly treatments referred to as the “language barrier premium”. To overcome such accuracy concerns, prefer to work with companies like Life Science Translation. They only deal in medical linguistic services and can deliver the best results.
How to assess the quality of medical translation?
- A good medical translation is almost entirely completed by a human. The finest translators are those who can consult a wide range of resources. These work-related resources include but are not limited to medical glossaries and style guides.
- Companies that offer the best certified translation services mostly adhere to global quality standards like ISO-9001. These companies often allow third parties to audit their processes. Last but not least, they deliver a quick turnaround time.
- You can expect a quality medical translation to follow the same formatting and page layout as the original documents. It also exhibits the traits of accuracy, clarity, authenticity, and consistency.
What is the price of medical translation services?
Medical translation services generally follow per-word pricing instead of the per-page model. And these costs are not always fixed. Clients having flexible, short documents find it interesting. However, there are certain points that you should keep in mind related to pricing.
- There are various parameters that act as a basis for defining the overall translation cost. Such as the complexity of the language and turnaround time. If you need translation of your medical document in a short amount of time, it will often incur rushed fees. Similarly, one language can have a higher per-word rate than the other, based on the complexity involved.
- The length of the document(s) and medical terminology also play a great role in the price calculation. Longer medical translations can cost you more. Similarly, sometimes there are specialties that need deep-level expertise on part of the translator. These specialized medical documents could contain clinical data and informed medical consent forms, etc. When your project requires a greater level of expertise, you can expect to pay more.
The best way to hit the right pricing is to do the proper homework. Simply head over to the web and search keywords like cheap certified translation services for medical needs. You will come up with a list of top companies from whom you can request a quote to find the best company.
Medical translation company vs freelancer
Most people find it hard to decide whether they need to partner with an agency or hire some freelancer. A freelancer is of course a single person who can translate your medical content into another language. While a medical translation agency comes with a pool of talented individuals and provides services in various languages.
Let’s understand the key differences between the two so you can make the right move.
Hiring a freelance medical translator
Pros:
- Costs are significantly lower when you work with a freelancer. But this is not always the case. As some independent experienced freelancers may charge you more.
- You’ve the privilege of direct communication. Need any changes in your translation work? This approach allows you to contact your freelancer immediately which can often save you time.
Cons:
- A freelancer may not support all computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools. Which are an incredible help when it comes to ensuring consistency across medical translation.
- With a freelancer, you will have access to limited capabilities. A freelancer can mostly with one or two languages so you’ll have to hire multiple people to get your project done.
Hiring a medical translation company
Pros:
- When you hire an agency, it can help you in various areas. Whether you need 100% accurate terminology translation services or something like veterinary translation, they have you covered.
- Translation companies support almost all CAT tools. Why is this important? It helps in reducing your cost and improving the consistency in translation.
Cons:
- Medical translation agencies connect you with certified professionals and also offer multiple services. So, it’s evident that working with them will cost you higher.
- You’ll have indirect communication with the linguist. Every time you need to get in touch with your translator, you’ll have to go through a PM group.
These are a few of the leading differences between working with an independent translator or an agency. The choice decision will surely depend on which solution best serves your business objectives, project goals, and budget constraints.