Why Medical Translation Services Are Becoming Increasingly Vital

In the increasingly globalized world we live in, the language barrier has become one of the last hurdles towards a fully integrated world. In the US particularly, the Department of Homeland Security estimates that 1,1 million people migrate to the country each year, leaving a large gap to be filled in terms of communication. The health industry is no exception to this, and the demand for quality medical translation services is in constant increase.

Entire families migrate to the US every day, and the difficulty in learning English for most foreigners makes it necessary for health centers and providers to be able to give translation services on demand.

Why translation services are critical

In order to treat patients in an efficient and thorough manner, a lot more than testing and medication is required. Communication with the doctor plays an enormous role in the success or failure of medical treatments, especially in the case of long illnesses and complicated diagnosis.

Non-English speakers can often grasp the important bits of information they need to make it by on a daily basis, considering that they often have no choice but to learn the language fast. But this rudimentary communication is simply not enough in medical treatment scenarios, where information must flow from doctor to patient and vice versa in unequivocal manner.

Grasping “the gist” of what the doctor just said is not an option for people with critical diseases, and there is a need for a special medical translator in the room on every appointment.

Why not just “any” translation services company will do a good job

Most health providers have qualified medical translators on call for situations like the ones named above. In most cases, these men and women have received specific training to make sure that communication flows naturally and everybody thoroughly understand each other.

But this isn’t always the case. Some providers simply do not do a good job of checking their translators’ skills and neither have clear internal policies for hiring and selecting professionals. This is important because a mediocre translator is simply not good enough in cases where patients’ lives are at risk.

Providers of this increasingly important and delicate service need to maintain the highest standards for their practice, like in every other healthcare area. This includes respecting the regulations that the industry has set in terms of the quality and availability of translators.

Many health centers just use their health professionals’ poor language skills to make up for the communication gap, and this is not only careless, but dangerous too. In situations where you think you need a translator, you should ask for one and get a trained professional on the job.

Final considerations

It should be established by now that, in order to get quality treatment, medical translation services are not just a nice thing to have – they are a true necessity. You and your loved ones should be getting a professional, qualified translator in every medical appointment in order to receive the full benefits of your doctors appointment. Settling for a sub standard service is potentially dangerous and irresponsible.