Medical translation is an abundant translation category, which may be classified under the scientific translation, as it is completely different from the typical translation fields that requires double effort, and its information is only mastered by specialist.
Your guide for specialization in the medical translation
Medical translation is the process of delivering information from one language to another language by a medical translator working in a certified translation office. It is one of the significant branches of scientific translation, intended for the experienced and specialized people in the medical field, and to other individuals not engaged in the medical field, as it includes the translation of documents and information, to make it easier for patients to be aware and understand their content.
What is the significance of medical translation?
Medical translation requires greater effort than other types of translations, as it is usually mastered by specialists. The most prominent medical translations are usually translated from English into Arabic; because most of the medical curricula in the Arab countries are taught in English.
Medical translation is provided by a certified translation office in Cairo, and its significance is as follows:
- The significance of medical translation is implied in its direct relation to the lives of patients and the person to whom the documents are translated. Any mistake in a single letter or number in this type of translation may lead to several issues that may, in some cases, affect the life and health of a patient.
- It helps the non-speakers of the medical documents language to leverage from the medical content provided to them.
- It helps to unify the medical opinions by unifying the sources from which the individuals and specialists get their information, despite of their various languages.
- It helps to reduce the mistakes in transferring and describing medical information. On contrary of any other translation type; any change of any single information may kill a person, as the cases will be diagnosed mistakenly, as per the information translated with mistakes.
What are the types of medical translation?
The medical translation has two basic types of approved translation, i.e.;
Medical Interpretation
It includes the translation of conferences, medical seminars, or the translation of the attachments during medical sessions, medical examinations in clinics and hospitals, or surgical operations to facilitate communication between patients and healthcare providers in multiple societies. It is necessary, because it saves lives, and even imposed by law in many countries.
Written medical Translation
It is related to the written translation of documents and reports related to the medical and health industry, with all of its specialties and branches. The medical translator shall have high efficiency and accuracy, as the medical translation does not tolerate any error, because it is related directly to the medical field.
There are various documents that can be classified as medical papers, such as medical reports, medical references, prescriptions and medical articles.
The medical translation is not limited just to the aforementioned types; as it includes the translation of stickers, brochures related to medicines, medical devices, academic medical translation, or medical translation of specialized websites or advertising campaigns for clinics, hospitals, etc.
How to be specialized in the medical translation?
If you want to work as a medical translator and to be specialized in the field of medical translation, you shall have a special nature, standard specifications and specialized qualifications in order to handle the specialized medical terms, as follows:
- Medical specialization and study: This is a priority for the medical translator, and sometimes the certified translation offices specialized in medical translation consider this a prerequisite. Therefore, the translators without a medical background shall approach the necessary training courses online, as it will certainly help him be acquainted with the medical topics and specialized terms.
- Perfect language skills: The medical translator shall have perfect linguistic skills in both languages he translates to and from to ensure that the used language is correct, to understand the intended meaning and deliver it correctly and clearly from the source language into the target language. This way, the translated content will be correct in terms of language and its style without any ambiguity, while clarifying all the details.
- The ability to accommodate the target language to suit the target audience. You shall first define if it is directed to specialists or a normal people who are not familiar with the complex medical terms, in order to seize the used language and style accordingly.
- Continuous education: If you have medical certificate or obtained a course in medical specialization in general or medical translation; you shall continue learning and training. Make sure to be regularly updated with the information, techniques and developments in the field of medicine, and use such information in your work.
5. Training courses: The medical translator shall subscribe in medical translation training courses, including:
- ALTA’s Medical Interpreter Training Courses
- Clinical Terminology for International and U.S. Students
- Introductory Human Physiology
- Human Anatomy: Musculoskeletal
- Cases
- Health Information Literacy for Data Analytics Specialization
- Understanding the Brain: The Neurobiology of Everyday Life
Work mechanisms in the medical translation field
As a medical translator, you shall be characterized with the basic skills to perform your work professionally. Here are the key skills that the medical translator shall feature:
Experience in your specialty and in the target language
Even if you are a specialist in the medical field, you still need sufficient translation experiences through mastering both of the source and target languages, in addition to the correct translation of medical terms. If you translated the medical terms correctly and made mistakes in the remaining content; you will change the intended meaning in such documents, which may affect the translated content quality and may affect people’s safety and health of individuals .
Avoid showing your personal opinions
The medical translator shall not show his personal opinions in the translated text, and shall be objective, even if the translated medical text contradicts with his thoughts. You shall not also use a specific style like directing the speech to the reader as if it’s your own statements; instead, you should use the passive form more than the regular translation styles.
Mastering medical terms
Mastering the medical terms is a key skill in the medical translator, as he should understand the medical terms in the source language and translate them properly to the target language, because the medical translation doesn’t tolerate any mistakes.
Using Internet effectively
One of the most important work principals is to be able to use the Internet effectively to search for the meanings of the difficult vocabulary and terms, as you will certainly find some difficult and new words, even if you are mastering this field perfectly.
Understanding other cultures and respecting their principles
The medical translator shall avoid the inappropriate phrases in his translation, and shall replace them with other phrases that suit the culture and principals of the targeted community.
Save content secrets
One of the skills that highlight the efficiency of the medical translator is not to disclose any confidential information of the translated content, and not to let anybody view the same without permission of its owner.
The most significant sites that can employ you in the medical field
You can get several medical translation job opportunities, whether in the written translation or interpretation via the following websites:
- Medical Translation Jobs in Egypt.
- Freelance jobs medical translation.
- Freelance medical translation jobs.
If you are a junior translator and need more training on medical translation, you can work first on voluntary translation websites. You can then train in a medical translation office to get the required practical experience, and work as a freelancer medical translator or a freelancer any online translation websites.
To obtain any advice regarding the medical translation jobs in a certified translation office, please contact us.
