Top Tips for Picking a Trustworthy Healthcare Translation Company

Picking a healthcare translation company is a necessity for all healthcare providers. According to Communicare, a medical language service provider (MLSP) and digital medical marketer, healthcare translation services save lives, reduce medical errors, and increase healthcare operational efficiency.

Any translation error in the medical field can result in devastating consequences, including loss of life. Such an error translates into a medical error in the long run. Errors can also lead to the cancellation of your medical practicing license and payment of hefty penalties.

To achieve the said benefits and avoid the said repercussions, you should know tips for picking the best translation company for your health care services. The market is full of quack translation companies. So, you require to identify the best company using the following tips:

Conduct a Research

Researching the available healthcare translation companies is the first step before settling for a single company. The market is full of language service providers. So, researching the language service providers helps you create a list of the best options for further assessment.

You can ask friends, research the internet, or ask for referrals to identify the best translation companies for your healthcare content. Some of the aspects you should consider when shortlisting the best companies include price, turnaround time, experience, and expertise of the companies, among other factors.

Invite Bids

Inviting bids is one way of simplifying your research process. If you post your healthcare translation needs, the available companies will pitch their services to you. In return, you will be able to select the company that meets your needs.

Post your translation needs on social media, forum groups, ad boards, and other platforms to invite bids. Several companies visit these sites looking for clients.

Notably, you have to be professional when posting your translation needs. Use formal language. Doing so will help you attract credible companies. So, you have to research ways to publish a professional bid request.

Assess the Capacity of a Translation Company

The translation company of your choice should have what it takes to translate your content. To begin with, it should align with the scope and volume of your needs. Remember, medical targets a multimarket audience.

So, the company of your choice should be multi-language. Also, the company should have cross-border experience and collaboration.

Should you opt for an international translation firm or a domestic one? We recommend that you select a global company. Such a company offers a more comprehensive menu than a domestic one.

Timescale is another factor to consider when choosing a medical translation company. You should ensure that your firm of choice has adequate resources to meet your needs in a timely manner.

Such a company should have adequate translators and technology that will enable it to translate your content in line with your deadline.

Check for Internationally-Recognized Certification

The second consideration entails checking whether your company has internationally-recognized certification, such as the ISO certification. Such certificates denote that the company adheres to international operational standards.

In other words, the international certificate is an indication that the firm employs a set of quality control measures that improve the quality of its deliverables.

Also, check whether the translators within your preferred company have translation and life science skills. The two skills are integral when it comes to healthcare services.

Remember, different languages require different certifications. So, your preferred firm should have accreditation for the languages you choose for your content.

To check for language certifications, you can visit the National Board of Certification for Medical Interpreters (NBCMI). Alternatively, you can visit the Certification Commission for Healthcare Interpreters (CCHI). The two are online registries that list translation companies and their respective language certifications.

Assess Confidentiality Levels

Your preferred medical translation company should have a confidentiality policy in place. This policy makes the company never share your information and translation content with third parties.

For example, medical trials require confidentiality to avoid duplication and theft of the findings before publication. So, a firm should keep such trial information a secret.

Assess the Relationship Chemistry

Your preferred translation company for your medical content should understand your needs. It should also anticipate your future needs. So, avoid companies that conduct routine work. Such companies are more business-centric than customer-centric. In other words, they are out there to make profits rather than solve problems.

If you engage a business-centric company, there is a high possibility of errors in your final content. Remember, the healthcare industry has no room for errors. So, if a translation firm is not willing to listen and collaborate with you, drop it from your list of choices.

A qualified company should never offer standard services. It should be willing to customize its services to meet the needs of its customers. For this reason, it has to give its customers its 100% attention. In other words, it should never pool customers in one basket. Instead, it should approach its customers individually and attend to them exclusively until the end.

If you find that a translation company is attending to other customers while you wait, drop it from your list. Such a firm can leave your work unattended to work for other clients. In return, it can miss deadlines or rush over your work.

So, always choose a medical translation firm that is ready and willing to attend to your needs exclusively. Such an aspect denotes that the firm values customer relationships. Also, the aspect shows that the company will attend to your needs in an unforeseeable future.

Check Customer Reviews

If you can get a healthcare translation firm with a high number of positive reviews, engage it. Such a firm has worked for several customers. For this reason, it is an experienced translation company. Also, many positive reviews show that the company offers high-quality services that satisfy its customers.

A translation company with a high number of negative reviews does not last for long in the market. Such negativity proves that the firm offers substandard services that can lead to medical errors and other consequences that translate into a loss to a medical service provider.

Check for Onboarding Professionalism

Never engage a translation company that has a briefcase office. Such a company does not have a solid foundation. Also, there is a high likelihood that such a firm is a quack.

A qualified healthcare translation firm provides you with a contract during the onboarding process. Also, such a company has a physical office or a traceable location, even though it provides online services.

Also, the onboarding process should never happen in a rush. A qualified translation firm takes time to understand your needs, provide clarity on its operation module, and suggest extra inputs that you need for your translated medical content.

If a translation firm is rushing to get paid before understanding your needs, drop it from your list of choices. A qualified medical firm offers a comprehensive onboarding process. Such a process seeks to understand your needs and foster a long-lasting future relationship.

Ask for a Dedicated Project and Account Manager

Qualified translation companies always assign you a dedicated project and account manager. A project manager handles the current project, while an account manager handles your future needs.

So, an account manager stays with you for a long time. However, a project manager may change in line with the nature of your needs.

Avoid translation companies that keep on changing their project and account managers. Such companies can delay your project. Also, such companies pose a risk of errors in your final content.

Project and account managers should remain the same until your project ends.

Also, the project and account managers should be available any time you need them. Any unavailability of these two individuals is unacceptable, especially when it comes to medical translation.

Remember, medical translation requires accuracy and precision. It is impossible to apply the two prerequisites in an instance where a firm keeps on shifting hands on your medical content.

Assess Subject Expertise

Healthcare encompasses a wide array of fields. It features various forms of surgery, medical trials, and dentistry, among other fields. It is impossible to find a medical translator that is well versed in all healthcare and medicine fields. So, ensure that the firm that you select has experts in your field that requires translation.

Confirm the Provision of Localization Services

A company that translates your healthcare content should also localize it. It is futile to translate content and fail to localize it. Localization ensures that the context of the translated content matches the cultural values of the target audience.

Words have different meanings to different communities. So, some polite words in one community can be vulgar in another community. So, your company of choice should adjust the wording of the translated content to match the cultural values of the target audience.

The Bottom Line

After reading the above tips for picking a trustworthy healthcare firm, you are in a position to settle for the best company for your healthcare needs.