Medical Translation - No Room For Error

Medical translation is crucial in the production of medical documentation. Medical and health care workers who do not speak the same language as manufacturers rely on documentation to be able to use devices and equipment correctly. Inaccurate or inexpert translation can result in users misusing a product. When lives are on the line, medical workers cannot afford to make this mistake.

The demand for quality translations for medical documentation in the United States and international markets is high. In the US alone, the 2007 American Community Survey Report found that over 55 million people over the age of five speak a language other than English at home. This segment includes people in the medical and health care field.

In the international arena, manufacturers of medical devices who export their products to Europe and Asia are governed by strict language and safety regulations. These regulations require all documentation accompanying medical devices to be translated into the native language of the country or region where such devices are sold.

Manufacturers must therefore ensure that their documentation is translated with the highest degree of care and accuracy. Medical translation not only calls for translating text from one language to another, but also incorporating industry jargon and the cultural nuances of the target country or region.

Companies in the medical manufacturing field should work with translators who not only have extensive experience in the production of medical documents, but are located in the target countries and are native speakers of the target languages and dialects to ensure the quality of the translation. In a field where there is no room for error or misinterpretation, manufacturers cannot afford anything less than 100 percent accuracy.