Working with participants in a medical trial often requires some auxiliary services, including translation. Medical translation is a special subset of translation work that carries its own implications and specific requirements.
If you want to be sure that all participants in your trial will feel as comfortable as possible. And that all concerns will be handled with a complete understanding of the situation. You will want to work with a specialized medical translation service. Here are some things you can do to help minimize the rate of errors during the trial.
Understand Your Trial Process in Detail
A good medical translation service can help you ensure that all participants in your medical trial are aware of what they’re signing up for. And that nothing gets lost in translation. This is important on multiple levels – it’s necessary from a moral standpoint. But you also have legal obligations to adhere to.
Medical documentation is notoriously difficult to translate due to all the specific terms and style involved. This makes it important to get it done by someone who understands the field inside and out.
Give Participants the Full Opportunity to Learn on Their Own
Another benefit of working with a competent translation service provider for your medical trials is that this can give your participants the ability to understand everything about the trial on their own. You won’t have to go through complicated hand-holding sessions where you have to explain every point anew.
Rather, you’ll be able to rely on a compiled set of translated documents which you can provide to your patients directly. Of course, there might still be some additional questions to sort out – so make sure to give the opportunity for a follow-up session. More on that below.
Maintain Confidentiality Where It Matters – Translating a Medical Trial
Participating in a medical trial comes with the expectation that the participant’s data will be treated as confidential. You likely have an established legal framework for that. Including agreements and other documents that outline the relationship between the participant and the facility.
When you’re working with a translation service for your medical trial. You must always verify that the agency is aware of the unique expectations towards its work in the medical field. And knows how to comply with all relevant standards. This is something you must discuss in advance. It’s not the kind of point that you should make any assumptions about.
Avoid Deviating from the Source Material
Something else that’s crucial when it comes to medical translations is that the source material must be respected to the last letter. This is not the kind of translation work where creativity is encouraged. Sometimes a simple change in a single statement can alter the entire implication of a document. That’s another good reason to work with a translation agency that’s specifically familiar with the healthcare sector.
Respond to Participants’ Concerns
This should go without saying, but you should have a clear line of communication established for your trial participants. If anyone has any concerns about the procedure or what comes after it. They should be able to reach out to you and discuss everything in detail.
That’s also something a good translation agency can help you with. Translation specialists can help you understand the exact concerns people might have about the procedure. And they will likewise help you shape your response in a way that gives participants reassurance.
Follow Up After Sessions – Translating a Medical Trial
You should do your best to follow up with your translation service after each session to check if there are any points that could potentially be improved. Gather regular feedback from your trial participants and discuss points related to translation and language barriers in general with your translation service provider.
Ideally, you should have a list of topics to discuss prepared before each of those sessions. If that’s not possible, you can follow up with your patients to get some feedback from them. Just make sure that nothing gets lost in the administrative process. And you’re able to act on any comments you’ve received.
Look Into the Translation Agency You’re Working With
Another point that should be self-explanatory but ends up getting ignored by some people for various reasons. You should take some time to study the translation agency you’re about to work with. And ensure that they’re on top of their game when it comes to healthcare work.
Qualified translators can make all the difference in a sensitive field like medical trials. That’s why you need to be selective about the agencies you work with. And ensure that your medical translation will be handled by someone with actual experience in the field. This will shrink your candidate pool significantly. But that’s a good thing – you will know that you’re moving towards agencies that can actually give you the service you expect.
What Makes The Language Doctors Different?
At The Language Doctors, we work with qualified translation specialists with a deep understanding of the healthcare sector and all its unique requirements. Our translators know what it takes to work with medical trial participants. And are prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that you’re happy with the work they do.
We understand the challenges of medical translation better than most agencies on the market. Reach out to us today and find out what makes us different! We are always available for new clients and we’re prepared to discuss your unique requirements in as much detail as you need.
Conclusion -Translating a Medical Trial
Finding a reliable translation service provider for medical trial participants is not as easy as it sounds. Despite the crowded state of the translation market. Few agencies are able to live up to the strict requirements of working in the healthcare sector.
That’s why choosing The Language Doctors is one of the best moves you can make when it comes to getting the most out of your interaction with your trial participants. Between our qualified translation experts and our unique approach to our work. You won’t find a more fitting translation agency on the market right now.
