When there are lives at stake, there is no room for errors. One must pay attention to the intricacies when dealing with medical translations.
For that purpose, you should always hire an agency that excels in providing accurate document translation services.
Safety of patients should hold utmost importance when taking into account the use of medical devices for translations. In the UK, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHPR) regulates the safe usage of medical devices and products.
We all know how it turned out for 18-year-old Ramirez when the translator mistook ‘Intoxicado’ for a drug overdose. Later on, the health experts found out that he had suffered major nerve damage which led to bleeding in his brain leaving him quadriplegic permanently.
Often times, doctors and medical examiners consult the patient’s family to identify what could’ve gone wrong. However, it can have dangerous repercussions if the information is not communicated properly. Therefore, reliable interpretation should be the ultimate way to decipher the language barriers and increase the chances of successful diagnosis. There is a number of reasons why translators might misinterpret; one of the main reasons is lacking the professional interpreters who are certified to do their job. According to Dr. Angela Alday, a hospitalist from Tuality Community hospital, 20% of the patients require interpretation, which is why it is mandatory to bring in a certified translator.
Similarly, breasts of a British Woman, Teresa Tarry, were lost to a double mastectomy after a blunder was made on her medical reports. Unsurprisingly, it was a translation error that led to the removal of her breasts. Ultimately, she had to sue the hospital for all the damages they had caused her.
Moreover, 47 patients were reported to have got their knees replaced due to flawed translations. The worst part is, it will take only a word to put you in serious trouble.
Having a qualified interpreter is one of the most important things when it comes to patient consultations. Sandra George, a woman with limited proficiency in English, consulted a friend instead of a healthcare expert or a professional team. Ms. George was absolutely convinced after the consultation that her tumor was cancerous. And later on, one of the surgeons damaged her facial nerve when the tumor wasn’t even cancerous.
Talking about tragic accidents due to translation/interpretation errors, a teenage brother made attempts to translate the language for his Vietnamese parents. As a result, his nine-year-old sister collapsed after taking wrongly prescribed drugs. When doctors realized what was happening, she was already deceased.
Errors in Medical Translations
There are a number of translation errors that can be a red signal for many healthcare institutes:
Non-certified translator
One of the most common reasons for errors in medical translations is the fact that many incompetent translators who do not have a relevant certification are out there in the market.
Ad Hoc Translators
It is true that instant translators save a lot of time; but is it worth taking a risk when lives are at stake?
According to a research, a medical team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Science, it was found out that doctors were using ‘Google Translate’ for the translation of medical records.
Fear of Liability
People don’t want to take any responsibility even when they are proficient in different languages. According to Eugene, A physicist from Lancaster claimed that several bilingual colleagues in medical field declined to translate for foreign patients in fear of the liability.
Problem with Abbreviations
When a particular translator has to deal with abbreviations, a problem arises. Many times, you will see the same abbreviation for a completely different term. According to Intelligent Editing, 1500 words had an abbreviation that was used more times than once.
Obsolete Terminologies
Neologisms and obsoleting of words can create a discrepancy while translation process. Neologism refers to the newly invented terms and expressions that are constantly mixed with obsolete terms, which in turn leads to translation problems in the medical field.
Final Verdict
No matter how efficient the systems are and how competent a translator is, mistakes are deemed to happen. Therefore, you should opt to hire a team of professionals who can deliver you the best results while maintaining the originality of the content.