Few people would disagree that medical documents must be translated absolutely accurately, whether they are instructions for the use of medical equipment, prescriptions for drugs and medicine or when patients whose first language is other than English attend a medical institution. Getting the translation wrong could mean serious health problems and could also be considered medical malpractice if it is knowingly allowed to exist. However, how does one choose a suitable medical translation service when there always seem to be a large number of translation services competing for your business?
Experience counts
One of the fits things to look for when choosing a medical translation service is experience. This is not just a matter of how long the translation service has been operating as a business. It’s a matter of whether they deal with medical translations on a routine basis. The accuracy of translation depends to a certain extent on familiarity with the terms used and many medical documents can be very technical. You will want to choose a translator or translation service that handles the sort of document that you want translating and is familiar with the medical terms in both languages.
Quality before price
Many companies that need to get their documents translated think twice when it comes to the cost of translation and this is understandable, but when it comes to translating important documents, a low price does not guarantee that the translation is going to be accurate. If documents are not translated properly, you are going to be blamed for any health problems that result and you could in fact be sued if someone is seriously affected or dies as a result of a poorly translated text. It’s just not worth the risk.
A long term relationship will pay dividends in the future
Unless the document you want translating is simply a one off event and you are unlikely to want any more translation in the future it is worth building a long term relationship with a good translation company. Using the same document translation service will mean that a working vocabulary can be built up and a level of trust between you and the translation provider that means you can rely on a good job being done in the future. Using the same company or translator all the time means that they will come to understand the importance of what you do and the standard that you expect of the translation. Most good medical translation service providers are willing to sit down and communicate with you about what it is that you want translated and how important this is for you.
