Medical and Scientific Translation:
What It Really Requires

In no other field does terminological precision have such direct consequences as in medicine and science. An incorrect dosage, a misunderstood diagnosis, a poorly translated side effect in a package insert: the implications go well beyond text quality.

Yet in this sector, the choice of translation provider is often treated as an administrative rather than a strategic decision.

The most critical documents

Scientific publications and articles for peer-reviewed journals. The translation must comply with the editorial conventions of the target journal, use the standard terminology in the relevant field, and maintain the argumentative structure of the original. An inaccurate translation can lead to the rejection of the article during peer review.

Clinical reports and medical records. These are translated for very different purposes: legal use (expert reports, litigation), insurance use, second medical opinion abroad, immigration. Each context has different requirements in terms of form and certification.

Package inserts and pharmaceutical technical data sheets. These are regulated documents: they must comply with the requirements of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the relevant national agencies. The translation must be consistent with the approved version in the other languages of the dossier.

Regulatory dossiers and documentation for clinical trials. These require total terminological consistency across hundreds of pages, often in multiple languages simultaneously. An error in one form can block the regulatory process.

Requirements for a medical-scientific translator

An adequate translator for this sector must have: scientific or medical training (a degree or doctorate in the relevant discipline), documented experience in translating similar texts, knowledge of pharmaceutical and biomedical sector regulations, and access to validated terminology databases.

Knowledge of the language is not sufficient. General experience as a translator is not sufficient.

How we work in this field

Our network includes translators with backgrounds in medicine, pharmacology, molecular biology and biochemistry. We work with sector-specific glossaries built for each client and, for the most technical documents, with review by a second specialist in the same discipline.

If you have medical or scientific materials to translate, contact us with the project details: we will assess the complexity and indicate the time and resources required.