





































       V38 N3 / 2023 

©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     4

THEME ARTICLE

ABSTRACT
In today's globalized world, translating scientific and med-
ical content is vital to bridging language barriers and facil-
itating communication among diverse audiences. This 
article dives deep into the importance of medical transla-
tion and provides key best practices to ensure accurate and 
high-quality translations.
 Effective medical translators must possess strong writing 
skills in both the source and target languages to accurately 
convey the intended message while maintaining the tone 
and style of the original document. Developing and finaliz-
ing content in one language before translation streamlines 
the process and enhances the quality of the translation.
 Translators should seek clarification and ask questions 
during the translation process to deliver an error-free final 
version. Understanding medical terminology in both source 
and target languages is crucial, and staying updated with 
the latest terminology is essential for accurate translations. 
Utilizing a bilingual glossary or creating one in collabora-
tion with the client helps ensure translation accuracy.
 Although machine translations have limitations, com-
puter-assisted translation tools like Trados, memoQ, 
Wordfast, and OmegaT improve efficiency and consistency. 
These tools, equipped with translation memory and termi-
nology management features, support human translators in 
their work.
 Medical translation plays a significant role in global 
medical communication, alongside regulatory writing, sci-
entific publications, health communication, professional 
education, promotional writing, and grant writing. It is 
essential for effective communication and accurate infor-
mation exchange in the scientific community.
 In conclusion, accurate medical translation is crucial 
for effective communication and collaboration in the global 
scientific community. Adhering to best practices ensures 
precise and high-quality translations, facilitating the shar-
ing of scientific knowledge across languages.

In today's globalized world, the need for accessible scientific 
and medical content is more important than ever before. In 
order to ensure that this information is available to a wider 
audience, including those who do not speak the same lan-
guage as the original content, it is crucial to translate it. This 
can help bridge language barriers and facilitate communica-
tion among scientists, medical professionals, policymakers, 
educators, and the general public. Translating scientific con-
tent would be needed by individuals or organizations who 
want to communicate scientific and/or medical information 
to a diverse audience that speaks different languages. Some 
specific examples include

1. Researchers or scientists who want to publish their 
research findings in international journals or confer-
ences and want to make their research accessible to a 
wider audience.

2. Science communicators who want to disseminate sci-
entific information to the general public through vari-
ous media channels such as websites, blogs, podcasts, 
or social media, and want to reach a broader audience.

3. Science-based industries or organizations such as 
pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, or environmental 
consulting firms who need to communicate scien-
tific information to clients, stakeholders, or regulatory 
bodies in different regions of the world and want to 
provide multilingual content to facilitate understand-
ing and compliance.

 Hence, medical translation is an essential component of 
global health care communication.1 However, Dr Mao, who 
is a bilingual Chinese medical communicator leading Acurit 
Medical Communications, believes that it is not as straight-
forward as it may seem. Acurit is focused on medical trans-
lations between English and Chinese, therefore Dr Mao led 
her team to translate the “AMWA-EMWA-ISMPP joint posi-
tion statement on medical publications, preprints, and peer 
review” from English to Chinese. Dr Mao, who also serves 
on the executive board of the Australia China Business 
Council, believes that medical translators must adhere to 

Amanda Xiaoqing Mao, PhD, CMPP1 and Ishani Thakkar, PhD  / 1Acurit Medical Communications, Melbourne, Australia; 
2Boston, MA

Lost in Translation: The Vital Role of Medical Translation in Global 
Medical Communication

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AMWAJournal.org     5The Vital Role of Medical Translation in Global Medical Communication

several best practices to produce accurate, high-quality 
translations.
 Medical translation may involve the translation of various 
medical documents, including clinical trial protocols, patient 
information leaflets, regulatory documents, medical device 
manuals, and research papers, among others. Although the 
types of documents to be translated are as diverse as those in 
medical writing, this article focuses mainly on medical trans-
lations targeting professional audiences.

A GOOD TRANSLATOR IS ALSO A GOOD WRITER
If a project requires translation, a translator must be good 
not only at writing in the target language but also compre-
hending the source language. If they are required to translate 
in both directions, then they should be good writers in both 
languages. They must be able to convey the intended  
message accurately while maintaining the tone and style  
of the original document. The aim is for the translated doc-
ument to flow naturally, and for a third person to not be 
able to tell if it is a translation or original writing. This is only 
possible if the translator can produce good writing inde-
pendently. Translators should actively work on their  
nonnative languages, and writing helps strengthen their  
language skills.

FINALIZING CONTENT IN ONE LANGUAGE FIRST
In order to ensure high-quality medical translations, it is 
best to develop and finalize content in one language before 
translating it into another language. This streamlines the 
process and ensures quality. Avoid developing content in 
both languages simultaneously. The choice of language for 
developing original content should depend on available 
medical writing resources and reviewer language prefer-
ences. A highly competent translator can ensure effective 
translation of complex messages such that the translated 
content appears to be produced in the target language.

TIMING YOUR QUERIES APPROPRIATELY
Indeed, the translation process is very distinct from man-
uscript writing or any other kind of medical writing. 
Translators are expected to deliver one and only one trans-
lation, so they must prioritize delivering a final version 
that is ready for immediate use instead of taking the multi-
ple-draft approach. In order to deliver an error-free trans-
lation that meets the client’s expectations, the translator 
should seek clarification and ask questions during the trans-
lation process, and not bombard the client with questions 
when the final translation is expected. Questions regarding 
individual word choices are expected during translation, 
unlike in other kinds of medical communication in which 
the entire document may need to be reviewed for context 

before further clarification. The mark of a good translation is 
minimal corrections at the end from the client’s side.

GETTING MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY RIGHT
Medical documents are often complex and contain tech-
nical jargon, making them difficult for nonmedical profes-
sionals to understand. Therefore, a medical or life sciences 
background will greatly help a medical translator to accu-
rately translate technical documents. More importantly, a 
thorough understanding of medical terminology in both 
the source and target languages is crucial in the translation 
process. Medical translators must also make efforts to stay 
updated with the latest medical terminology. Poor transla-
tion quality often results from incorrect translation of termi-
nology. Asking the client to attach a bilingual glossary before 
the process or inquiring for clarification on terminology 
during the process can help produce high-quality medical 
translations that meet client expectations. If the client does 
not have a bilingual glossary, an experienced medical transla-
tor may help produce one during the first project and expand 
it when future projects come in from the same client.
 To that end, authoritative sources in languages includ-
ing but not limited to English include health and medical 
textbooks and scientific journal articles. Regulatory bodies 
in countries such as China, where the official language is 
Chinese, provide excellent resources in official medical ter-
minology. Websites for organizations such as the World 
Health Organization also have official languages in addition 
to English. Such content can be very useful for looking up 
standard medical terminology.

MACHINE TRANSLATIONS VERSUS COMPUTER-
ASSISTED TRANSLATION
Although machine translations may be an effective way to 
do some preliminary work, a human is always needed to 
edit and finalize a translation, especially in terms of med-
ical terminology, tone, flow, and context.2 However, using 
machines to translate medical and/or regulatory docu-
ments pose a bigger challenge than a lack of accuracy or 
flow.3 Using online translation tools is not recommended 
for sensitive medical documents as it may put privacy and 
confidentiality at risk: an undesirable outcome in the life 
sciences industry. That being said, machine translation 
must not be confused with computer-assisted translation 
(CAT) tools designed to help translators with repetitive 
tasks and improve efficiency. Using translation tools like 
Trados, memoQ, Wordfast, and OmegaT is encouraged. 
These software tools assist human translators in translating 
written content between languages. They include features 
like translation memory and terminology management to 
improve speed and accuracy while ensuring consistent  

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AMWAJournal.org     6The Vital Role of Medical Translation in Global Medical Communication

terminology use. CAT enhances the work of human trans-
lators, allowing them to focus on complex and creative 
aspects while delegating routine tasks to the computer.

MEDICAL TRANSLATION IS A FORM OF MEDICAL 
COMMUNICATION
Based on the above information, the complexity and  
significance of the medical translation process in global 
medical communication are indisputable. According to the 
American Medical Writers Association, there are 6 major 
categories of medical communication deliverables:4

1. Regulatory writing
2. Scientific publications
3. Health communication
4. Education for professionals (Continuing Medical 

Education or CME)
5. Promotional writing
6. Grant writing

 But it is important to recognize that medical translation is 
an additional crucial component of medical communication:
 In conclusion, translating medical content is essential 
for effective communication and collaboration in today's 
globalized scientific community. Whether it is a part of 
the final deliverable or simply a behind-the-scenes aspect 
of the project, medical translation is a necessary step to 
ensure effective communication and accurate information 
exchange between international scientific entities.

Acknowledgment
We thank Elizabeth Kukielka, PharmD, MWC, CMPP, for 
enabling this collaboration.

Author declaration and disclosures: Acurit Medical 
Communications does medical translation between English and 
Chinese. It is a revenue-generating activity for the company. 
Ishani Thakkar notes no commercial associations that may pose 
a conflict of interest in relation to this article. Amanda Mao 
served as the subject expert for this article and Ishani Thakkar 
served as the writer.

Author contact: amanda.mao@acuritmedcomms.com,  
thakkar.ishani@yahoo.com

References
1.  Mantry A. The importance of language translation in healthcare. 

Translate by Humans. Published June 28, 2018. Accessed April 
28, 2023. https://translatebyhumans.com/blog/translation-in-
healthcare/

2.  Fairman G. Applications of translation technology in healthcare. 
Bureau Works. Published 2023. Accessed April 28, 2023. https://
www.bureauworks.com/blog/applications-of-translation-
technology-in-healthcare-fc

3.  Wetsman N. Google Translate still isn’t good enough for medical 
instructions. The Verge. Published March 9, 2021. Accessed April 
28, 2023. https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22319225/google-
translate-medical-instructions-unreliable

4.  What types of medical writing are there? American Medical 
Writers Association. Published February 3, 2020. Accessed April 
28, 2023. https://blog.amwa.org/what-types-of-medical-writing-
are-there

A Career in 
Medical Communication:
Steps to Success
Learn about the skills and attributes needed 
to be a successful medical communicator 
and discover opportunities in the field.

www.amwa.org/career_steps

http://www.amwajournal.org
https://translatebyhumans.com/blog/translation-in-healthcare/
https://translatebyhumans.com/blog/translation-in-healthcare/
https://www.bureauworks.com/blog/applications-of-translation-technology-in-healthcare-fc
https://www.bureauworks.com/blog/applications-of-translation-technology-in-healthcare-fc
https://www.bureauworks.com/blog/applications-of-translation-technology-in-healthcare-fc
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22319225/google-translate-medical-instructions-unreliable
https://www.theverge.com/2021/3/9/22319225/google-translate-medical-instructions-unreliable
https://blog.amwa.org/what-types-of-medical-writing-are-there
https://blog.amwa.org/what-types-of-medical-writing-are-there



