Translating a cancer diagnosis

Recently I have been involved in the translation of several patient records, scan results and medical documents for people who have received a cancer diagnosis in France. Some of these patients require treatment in the US and need documentation translated into English, others require payment from insurers for repatriation expenses and reimbursement of medical costs incurred abroad. Whatever the reason, one common theme is the complexity of these hugely important medical documents along with their sensitivity.

Recent times have shown some major advances in the proficiency of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in translation. Indeed, AI is one of the only subjects which appears to be discussed in translation circles at present. Quite validly, it is causing some fear amongst translators who are unhappy at being replaced by machines.

In my recent translation cases, several issues came to mind when translating complex French medical documents which are interesting, in hindsight, when looking at the role AI has to play in translation in future.

First and foremost, we must discuss the issue of confidentiality. I shall purposely avoid being political in this post. However, recent global events have shone an increasingly bright light over the issues of data confidentiality with regard to the use of online apps and tools. Indeed, we have to admit that whenever you post any data online, whatever the format or purpose, it is usually stored somewhere and could, in theory, be accessed by anyone with malicious intent. I always ask myself whether I would feel comfortable disclosing my own personal, sensitive medical data online for anybody to read. Indeed, over the last year, several hospitals in France have been victim to cyber attacks and sensitive patient data has been used to hold these hospitals ransom to pay out millions. A scary thought...

Secondly, the sheer complexity and difficulty involved in understanding context, background and reading around an entire document in light of other documents means that medical documentation is much more tricky for any basic AI tool to comprehend with accuracy. AI tools may hold some practical benefit for people wishing to gain a gist understanding of a document before then deciding whether to go ahead with a full translation; however, they are yet far from being able to produce any accurate translation. Indeed, I recently posted a blog article about the complex medical acronyms used in a fairly generic French medical letter and it was mind-boggling how many there are and just how wrong online tools can be in their translation.

The third factor which must be taken into account here - inevitably - is cost. Clearly an AI translation is often free or, at the very least, less expensive than a human translation. It is impossible to argue with this. However, consider my point about data privacy above combined with the need for accuracy (particularly if you need the translation to be comprehensively understood by a surgeon) and just how much more expensive could an incorrect translation or data leak be? It is often not worth thinking about...

I founded French Medical Translators as an alternative to the large translation agency specialising in all forms of translation to offer precise translations which are affordable as well as reliable. By cutting out a lot of expensive overheads, it is possible to offer quality translations at a more affordable rate. In my opinion, this is one way of showing that honest business practices can still win through in an age when people want things instantly and increasingly look at online options to do so. My aim is to offer translations which beat machines hands down thanks to being accurate and well written by a professional, as well as retaining confidentiality and offering a level of comfort to people at a difficult time. Compassion is often an element left out of business, but when it comes to overcoming health difficulties, this is one element which makes us stand out from machines.

If you need a translation of a French medical document, of any length or complexity, feel free to get in touch today. I strive to answer all email queries within an hour, giving you peace of mind when you need it most!