5 Questions To Help You Find A Medical Translation Company

With many businesses offering medical translation services, you could be under the misconception that getting any form of medical translation carried out is a simple process.

However, not all medical translation services are carried out by skilled, experienced and qualified medical translators, meaning that one slip of the keyboard could lead to misinformation, serious reputational damage to your company brand or worse still, legal action.

Therefore, we’ve created a helpful guide which outlines the questions you will need to ask to ensure that you receive a high-quality medical translation service completely free from errors.

Here are five questions to help guide your selection process and ensure you engage with the right medical translation service:

 

1.     Can you share with me any evidence of appropriate qualifications and certifications you hold?

All reputable medical document translation service providers will be happy to provide you with details and evidence of their qualifications in this area. Failure to ask for such documentation could lead you to engage with a company with little knowledge of the sector nor the implications surrounding the use of words, tone, and structure. Make this your first priority when seeking a medical translation company.

It’s also advisable to ask for details of any memberships of translation associations or other professional bodies such as The Association of Translation Companies (ATC) and the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC). Organisations like these strive to promote the best editorial standards which are critical when trusting someone with your medical document translation.

 

2.     What are your processes for handling medical translations?

The best medical document translation companies will have a robust method in place to create each translated piece. There will be usually a structure in place to ensure that each document is triple checked for accuracy in language, medical terminology, and grammar.

Opt for a company that uses more than one individual to create your piece of documentation and uses up-to-date technologies and in-depth research methods rather than one that offers lower than average prices or very fast turnarounds.

 

3.     Can you explain your quality assurance methods?

By asking your shortlisted medical document translation service providers to explain their quality assurance methods, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about whether to trust them with your medical data. This will also give you peace of mind that they have established structures and work processes in place to consistently deliver high-quality medical translations within agreed deadlines.

You might also want to ask them for their amendment rate as this will give you an idea of how many amendments it typically takes for them to get each medical document spot on.

 

4.     Which translation tools do you use?

Any medical translation company worth their hourly rate should have a plethora of tools at their fingertips to ensure consistency throughout the document. One of the most commonly used in the industry is the translation memory Tool, so use this as the bare minimum you’d be willing to accept when seeking a new medical document translation service.

 

5.     How do you deal with data protection issues?

Finally, discovering if the company in question adheres to all current UK and EU regulations on data protection is imperative when trusting a company with your medical translation needs.

They should have a thorough understanding of GDPR regulations and the Data Protection Act as well as fortress-safe internal processes for safeguarding the personal data of patients where needed.

 

With the UK medical community spending in excess of £100 million per year on the translation of medical documentation into 128 different languages, it is essential that you closely scrutinise any organisation before you trust them with your sensitive data.

 

TW Languages has supported more than 200 companies in the medical field and has translated more than 40 million words for medical documents around the world.

With a fast turnaround and ISO 17100 certification, our specialised translators and linguists are able to translate medical documents into more than 250 languages. We guarantee a professional and high-quality service at all times.

Get in touch with our team today to find out more.