Why document format matters in medical translation

One of the most underrated, and yet important parts of medical translation is the ability to format the translation of a document. This is something that is never discussed with a client, but can seriously affect the reliability and accuracy of the translated version of your medical document.

For instance, let us imagine you have sent a panel of blood test results to be translated. If the translator is unable to perfectly replicate the format of the original document, it can lead to some serious and life-threatening difficulties when your results for one particular part of the blood test are confused with another.

Prior to becoming a certified medical translator, one of my other passions in life was computer science. My first degree was in fact in computer science from Durham University. Whilst this did not become my main profession, it is something that has stayed with me as a French medical translator and holds me in very good stead when it comes to the many medical documents which I frequently translate.

My ability to incorporate flawless formatting into my translation of medical documents means that my clients are guaranteed that the document I send them after translation is of identical quality to that which they send me.

An example of a French medical certificate recently translated here at French Medical Translators respecting the original format of the French document (left) in the translation (right).

What's more, despite recent progress in technology, OCR and document conversion is often far from being anywhere near reliable or of sufficient quality.

As a potential client of my French translation services, you may be wondering why this matters? Well for two reasons. First, the amount of time that it can take to translate your medical document will not only be based on the total number of words, but on the difficulty in replicating the identical format - which is so important as we have already discussed. And second, the cost of your translation will include the additional complex formatting necessary.

Fortunately, by choosing my French medical translation service, you are guarantee that costs will be kept as low as possible - not only because of my smaller scale, but additionally because of my expertise and proficiency in DTP meaning that I can replicate complex formats in a reduced time. When budgets are tight, I realise how much of a saving this can be.

Here at French Medical Translators we regularly translate all manner of complex medical documents including blood test results, medical records, doctor's letters, medical certificates and fit notes as well as birth certificates and death certificates between French and English to name but a few. If you want a quote to find out how much it would cost and how long it would take to translate your medical document, send us a message and we will reply within the hour.