The goal of any healthcare organization is to provide a high standard of care while at the same time managing operational costs. Hiring a specialized medical translation service can help you walk this fine line of effectively balancing your resources. As you weigh your options and ask yourself whether an external medical translation service would help you better serve your patients and clients, bear in mind these six myths that commonly prevent healthcare providers from making the best decision for themselves.
Myth 1: Communication between the In-House Team and Professional Translation Service Will be Rife with Confusion.
There is a common misconception that the translation agency may use different operating procedures, which could violate quality assurance processes of the in-house translation team.
Reality: The translation vendor will customize workflows to meet your standards. The solutions designed and developed by the translation team should always work in accordance with the healthcare organization’s requirements and goals.
Myth 2: Frequent Updates Are Not an Option.
For translations to be current and accurate, they will require frequent updates. Oftentimes, healthcare content managers mistakenly believe that the translation agency does not allow for frequent content changes.
Reality: Professional translation services use specialized software that allows them to update the content easily, and at a lower cost to you. Furthermore, a dedicated translation team works in accordance with your requests. Therefore, you enjoy the same degree of control as you would with an in-house translation team.
Myth 3: Translators Might Not Understand Medical Jargon.
A common myth is that linguists may not have enough medical knowledge to provide accurate equivalents of your medical documents in the target language.
Reality: Specialized medical translation providers select linguists based on translation tests and a careful review of their scientific credentials. Medical translators are proficient in another language and well-versed in medical terminology. In addition, specialized translation agencies pay close attention to the linguistic skill, critical thinking, and experience of your translation team members.
Myth 4: Contracting a Specialized Medical Translation Service Will Put Me in the Red.
Some healthcare content managers still believe the myth that hiring specialized translation services has an outsized impact on your budget.
Reality: Most healthcare organizations switch to translation vendors to cut down on cost. In fact, you can reduce some operational costs like salaries and benefits for employees, as well as investment in training your in-house resources. In addition, the productivity of the translation agency in comparison with the in-house team it is generally higher.
Myth 5: Specialized Medical Translation Services Do Not Comply with HIPAA Guidelines.
Some healthcare organizations are vocal about storing data locally to ensure their security and compliance with HIPAA privacy rules. They’re generally concerned that outsourcing translations leads to a breach in data security.
Reality: Contrary to this myth, specialized medical translation providers are proactive and invest heavily to ensure a secure infrastructure for their clients’ data-handling. Their future opportunities rely on being trustworthy and creating a positive customer experience. Securing their customers’ private data is of the highest priority for healthcare translation services.
Myth 6: There are Challenging Communication Gaps with an External Vendor that Hinder the Translation Process.
Many healthcare providers are worried that they won’t be able to contact their translation service when they need them.
Reality: Nowadays, translation agencies provide a collaborative communication system, comprised of dedicated customer portals, email, instant messaging, shared calendars, screen sharing and more. These tools allow your management team to stay updated and provide constant feedback.
What to Believe...
Finding a reliable specialized medical translation service is a great option for healthcare organizations and small medical practices who serve diverse populations. These translation services offer peace of mind when it comes to the quality provided at an affordable cost.
Six Myths about Using Specialized Medical Translation Services