Medical translation is the practice of
translating various
documents
A document is a written, drawn, presented, or memorialized representation of thought, often the manifestation of non-fictional, as well as fictional, content. The word originates from the Latin ', which denotes a "teaching" or "lesson": ...
—training materials, medical bulletins, drug data sheets, etc.—for health care,
medical device
A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...
s, marketing, or for clinical, regulatory, and technical documentation. Most countries require that companies and organizations translate literature and labeling for medical devices or
pharmaceuticals
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
into their national language. Documents for clinical trials often require translation for local
clinicians,
patients
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other healt ...
, and regulatory representatives. Regulatory approval submissions typically must be translated. In addition to
linguistic
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
skills, medical translation requires specific training and subject matter knowledge because of the highly technical, sensitive, and regulated nature of medical texts.
Process
Medical translation steps can include:
* Extracting text from the source format
*
Translating text to the target language
* Editing by a separate person to assure adherence to approved terminology and proper style and voice
* Publishing the translation in the original format (e.g., Word document, Web page, e-learning program)
*
Proofreading
Proofreading is a phase in the process of publishing where galley proofs are compared against the original manuscripts or graphic artworks, to identify transcription errors in the typesetting process. In the past, proofreaders would place corr ...
to ensure the formatted translation has proper punctuation and line and page breaks, and displays correctly
* Reviewing in-country by a native-speaking expert to ensure the translation meets all requirements
Translation agencies may oversee both project management and linguistic aspects.
Quality and standards
The life and death nature of medical texts mandates a strong emphasis on translation quality. The international medical industry is highly regulated, and companies who must translate documentation typically choose translation agencies certified or compliant with one or more of the following standards:
*
EN 15038 — European standard for translation vendor quality (
Translation-quality standards)
*
ISO 9001 — Quality system standard
*
ISO 13485 — Overarching standard for medical device manufacture
Because of the high amounts of specificities, regulations, and challenges in the field of medical translation, some specialized translation companies have emerged who deal with medical translations exclusively. Some of these companies have hired medical practitioners to supervise the translation process.
See also
*
Tremédica
References
{{Reflist
Translation
Academic works about medicine