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Should the medical translator study medicine?

what is a medical translator? Are you a doctor who also does translations? The answer is not necessarily, but it must be someone who knows medical language in detail. In addition, you must manage the source and target languages ​​so that your translations are optimal and accurate.

Beyond knowledge of 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 one form or another. You can be a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. At Protranslate, for example, you can count on professionals 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 times when medical terms are so complex that it is difficult for a non-specialist audience to understand them. If the medical translation is intended for a non-professional audience, the translator must be able to make the texts easy to understand.

In the case of documents intended for other healthcare professionals, there must also be adaptability 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 research and technical research. Part of your job is to document yourself for the specific translation you need to do and keep yourself up to date scientifically and technically. As medicine is constantly evolving, so is the language used.

Another reason the medical translator must constantly keep up to date is that they will often have to translate newly released drug brochures, 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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