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“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” -Frank Smith
As multiple cultures and ethnicities coexist in today’s ecosystem, all walks of life cross paths at some point and understand the value and importance of multilingualism. Seeking opportunities and a better lifestyle, people are migrating to faraway corners of the world, making every region on the globe richly diverse. In such an increasingly interconnected world, every industry must adapt itself to become more inclusive in its services and conduct.
The importance of language is paramount when it comes to the medical and healthcare industry. The high-class medical services in developed countries and low-cost travel opportunities have propelled people to move to a better place to receive medical treatment. People are now flying to different countries where they get better medical infrastructure and facilities to accelerate their course of treatment and recovery.
Sometimes, there is a language barrier to free-flowing communication. This is where expert medical translation services come into the picture.
Who Is A Medical Translator and What Do They Do?
Medical translators are professionals certified by The Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI) and they lend their language expertise to the various departments of the medical field, such as pharmaceutical, psychiatry, research, medical jurisprudence, etc. They translate crucial information like patient records, medical reports, pharma labels, prescriptions, clinical trial protocols, post-discharge details, product information for medical devices, etc.
The diverse language proficiency of medical translators benefits both ends of the medical communication spectrum. The doctor needs the translator to explain the medical history and nature of the problem of the patient so that he can analyze the problem, make a correct diagnosis, and create a treatment plan, while the patient needs a translator to effectively convey his condition to the doctor and understand their recommended treatment plan.
Importance of a Competent Medical Translator
Here’s a quick statistic for understanding language diversity. English is a global language, but out of the 1.8 billion people on the planet, merely 27% understand and speak English. There are over 6,500 languages spoken worldwide. This creates a huge potential for language barriers between people hailing from different corners of the world. Now you can imagine how this language barrier obstructs vital communication. So, the biggest brunt of the communication gap is suffered by the medical industry. This is where medical translation comes to the rescue.
In a world where technology has replaced every human exertion, some fields are still dominated by mankind. While Google Translate has made things easy, medical industries cannot afford to depend on automated machines to give doctors accurate translations. There are certain language nuances that only humans can interpret. Therefore, the medical field needs competent “human” translators for the job. Having a competent medical translator helps every person suffering from the juggernaut of medical communication.
Where wrong translations can sometimes send people into a laughing riot, in the medical and healthcare sector, an error in translation can escalate to grim situations for a patient. Here, medical translators prove to be extremely valuable as they act as an effective communication bridge between doctors and their patients.
Medical translators can also assist you when looking for 24 hr chemist shops and collecting your prescriptions.
How to Expand Your Small Business Using Translation Services
Conclusion
Although translation technology is advancing at a quick pace, it cannot seem to catch up or replace a human translator. Medical translators are certified language experts equipped with apt medical knowledge to overcome all communication hurdles in real-time and ensure nothing is lost in translation.
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