Should the medical translator study medicine? – Counter-Reply

What is a medical translator? Is it a doctor who also does translations? The answer is that not necessarily, but it must be someone who knows the medical language in great detail. In addition to this, you must handle both the source and destination languages ​​so that the translations you make are optimal and accurate.

Beyond knowing scientific medical terms, a medical translator must also be able to perform accurate and rigorous translations. That is why the ideal medical translator is someone who has worked in the health field in some way. It can be a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. At Protranslate, for example, you can count on professionals of this type ready to help you.

What activities does the medical translator carry out?

The main functions of a medical translator are to tailor translations to the target audience. There are many occasions when medical terms are so complex that it is difficult for a non-specialist public to understand them. If medical translation is intended for a non-industry audience, the translator must be able to make the texts easy to understand.

In the case of documents intended for other health professionals, there must also be a capacity for adaptation on the part of the professional medical translator. The texts must be easy to read, uniform and intelligible.

The medical translator must know how to investigate

In addition to knowing how to translate and write, the medical translator must know how to do technical research and research. Part of your job is to document yourself for the specific translation you need to do and to keep yourself scientifically and technically up to date. As medicine is constantly evolving, so is the language used.

Another reason why the medical translator must be constantly updated is because he will often have to translate drug leaflets that have just been launched on the market, thesis defenses or even official scientific publications.

It is also useful that the professional medical translator has a university degree, although it is not mandatory, it is considered essential.

In conclusion, specialized translation is a profession that requires rigor, dedication and professionalism. Medical translators must be able to adapt, update and be flexible with the environment in which they work.

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