There’s no denying that everyone loves social contact, albeit in a professional or family environment. Conversations on different topics crop up on a daily basis. Interestingly enough, however, topics related to health are always the most common. The same happens in the world of translation.
If anything characterises our team here at Tatutrad, it’s how we always strive to stay informed about everything going on around us so that our work reflects our extensive knowledge on the type of translation or interpretation being carried out.
As we’ve already mentioned, health has been a recurring topic throughout history. Information has been made available over the years and today, anyone can investigate anything that is concerning them in relation to their health.
That’s why today’s blog post is on pharmaceutical translation, a branch of specialised translation that follows specific protocols and procedures within the biomedical field.
Technical terminology and knowledge in pharmaceutical translation
This type of translation is mainly characterised by the complexity of the technical terminology. Due to it being closely related to medicine, research and pharmaceutical products can belong to the following specialisations, among others:
- Endocrinology
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Dermatology
- Paediatrics
- Traumatology
- Psychiatry
- Internal medicine
- Ophthalmology
- Dentistry
- Forensic medicine
Pharmaceutical translation requires significant documentation on the topic at hand. All expert translators in the field of pharmacology require the following:
- General knowledge on chemistry, biology and medicine
- Knowledge on patents
- Familiarity with texts in this field
- Technicalities and jargon belonging to the field of science
Of course, as we mentioned in our post on medical translation and medical interpretation in hospitals, in-depth language knowledge is a key requirement in pharmaceutical translation, regardless of the language combinations.
Furthermore, when undertaking a pharmaceutical translation, thorough knowledge of the protocols followed by the organisations in this industry is important. The European Medicines Agency and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use are responsible for assessing the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines to allow their subsequent commercialisation in Europe. These organisations, alongside others, regulate the information that must appear on information leaflets, labels and technical sheets (typical texts that are usually translated).
A pharmaceutical translator must know how the organisations in the country where the product is to be commercialised word the various documents (depending on the format and purpose of the drug).
This requires the pharmaceutical translator to be always up to date, as lacking knowledge on the wording and information that must be included in specific pharmaceutical documents could result in its commercialisation being prohibited, which would lead to economic losses for the company that manufactures or distributes the medicine.
Pharmaceutical translators are therefore faced with an additional challenge: ongoing training. This branch of translation requires daily updates, as the legislation changes every so often and new diseases regularly emerge that require new drugs to be created.
The most common translations within the field of pharmacology include:
- Translation of medicines
- Translation of information leaflets
- Translation of clinical trials
- Translation of medicine packaging
- Translation of pharmacology studies
- Translation of articles from scientific journals
- Translation focused on advertising pharmaceutical products
- Translation of websites related to the pharmaceutical industry
Points to consider
Confidentiality is one of the biggest concerns in the translation of pharmaceutical studies. The pharmaceutical industry places considerable importance on data handling and needs professionals who can ensure the utmost confidentiality for their materials.
Quality is another factor that must be taken into account in this kind of translation. The correct usage of pharmaceutical terminology and the accuracy of the translations are two key factors for offering competent services. In a pharmaceutical translation, strictly maintaining the original meaning is crucial, without falling into the trap of leaving out information.
Pharmaceutical translation is of the utmost importance and requires the translator to assume a high degree of responsibility. A mistake could have irrevocable consequences, and not just of an economic nature as we touched on earlier.
Incorrectly interpreting a term or omitting relevant information could have lethal consequences due to a medicine overdose or underdose or a severe allergic reaction because of the incorrect translation or omission of certain chemical components.
Finally, we must highlight the benefits of professionalism and quality in pharmaceutical translations. A good translation ensures the protection of public health and the credibility of companies and their brands.
The translated document is your corporate image in the country where the product is being commercialised, and therefore a quality translation will make for a positive corporate image, reinforcing your company identity within the industry.
Professional pharmaceutical translation services
Tatutrad’s team of experts offers quality services, not just thanks to our experience in the sector, but also the use of new technological and terminological resources that ensure coherence and that your documents make sense.
If your eyes are sore from reading poor translations, we recommend you click on our contact form and leave this service which is of vital importance to our team of professional translators.