Medical translation services for clinical, pharmaceutical and patient documents
Specialist medical translators with clinical or pharmacological qualifications. Zero tolerance for terminology errors.
Medical translation services convert clinical, pharmaceutical and patient documents between languages with exact terminological accuracy, because an error in a dosage, drug name or diagnosis can cause real harm. Orion Translations assigns medical content exclusively to translators with clinical or pharmacological qualifications, working in over 25 languages since 2009.
Where precision is not a preference but a safety requirement
Medical translation covers every document where medicine meets language: patient records, medical reports, prescriptions and diagnoses; clinical trial protocols, informed consent forms and investigator brochures; pharmaceutical regulatory dossiers; and instructions for use of medical devices.
Orion Translations works for hospitals, clinics, pharmaceutical companies, CROs, medical device manufacturers and insurers. Every project is translated by a medically qualified linguist and independently revised by a second specialist, the two-person principle at the heart of the ISO 17100 standard.
When do you need medical translation services?
You need professional medical translation whenever medical content crosses a language border and accuracy has clinical, legal or regulatory consequences. The most frequent cases Orion Translations handles:
| Situation | Documents involved |
|---|---|
| Treatment abroad or relocation | Patient records, medical reports, test results, vaccination records |
| Clinical research | Trial protocols, informed consent forms, patient questionnaires, adverse event reports |
| Pharmaceutical registration | Regulatory dossiers, summaries of product characteristics, labelling, package leaflets |
| Medical devices | Instructions for use, user interfaces, technical documentation for CE marking |
| Insurance and legal claims | Independent medical examinations, expert reports, claim documentation |
| Official submissions | Medical certificates and reports requiring sworn translation for authorities |
How much does medical translation cost?
Professional medical translation typically costs between 0.09 and 0.20 euros per word. The exact rate depends on the language pair, the degree of specialisation and the review stages your document requires: a patient record needs specialist translation and revision, while a clinical trial dossier may also need terminology validation and back-translation. Orion Translations confirms a fixed price and delivery date within one business day. Call +34 932 204 590 or write to info@oriontranslations.com.
How long does a medical translation take?
A medical report of a few pages is usually delivered in 2-3 business days including independent revision. Larger regulatory or clinical trial projects are scheduled with interim deliveries, and urgent hospital or insurance cases can be expedited. Because medical translation always includes a second-linguist revision, Orion Translations never compresses deadlines by skipping the review stage.
Why AI alone is not enough for medical content
Machine translation fails most often precisely where medical texts are most dangerous: negations, dosage units, drug names that differ between markets, and abbreviations that mean different things in different specialties. AI can accelerate a first draft, but patient safety requires a qualified human medical translator to verify every term. Orion Translations offers AI-assisted workflows with human expert review when speed matters, and full human translation when regulation demands it.
How Orion Translations delivers medical accuracy
Four stages, none skipped. Assignment: your document goes to a translator with a clinical, pharmacological or life-science background in the right specialty. Translation: terminology is checked against approved glossaries and international drug name databases. Revision: a second medical linguist independently reviews the complete text, in line with ISO 17100 practice. Delivery: in your required format, with certification or sworn status when the receiving authority requires it.
Confidentiality is absolute: medical documents contain sensitive personal data, and our workflows apply GDPR-compliant handling, restricted access and deletion after delivery on request.
Related translation services
Medical documents deserve translators who understand medicine, not just language.
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Upload your document and tell us what you need. We respond within one business day with a fixed price and delivery date. No hidden costs. No obligation.
Frequently Asked Questions
- A medical translator needs two competences: translation training and genuine subject knowledge in medicine or pharmacology. Orion Translations assigns medical documents only to translators with clinical, pharmacological or life-science backgrounds, because medical terminology cannot be safely handled by generalists. Every translation is then revised by a second qualified linguist before delivery.
- AI can produce a first draft, but unreviewed AI output is not safe for medical content. Dosage units, drug names, anatomical terms and negations are exactly the elements machine translation gets wrong most often, and an error in any of them can harm a patient. If AI is used at all, it must be followed by full post-editing by a qualified medical translator. Orion Translations always keeps a human medical specialist in the loop.
- Professional medical translation typically costs between 0.09 and 0.20 euros per word, depending on the language pair, the technicality of the document and the deadline. Highly regulated content such as clinical trial documentation sits at the upper end because it requires additional review stages. Orion Translations provides a fixed quote and confirmed delivery date within one business day.
- ISO 17100 is the international standard for translation services. Its core requirement is that every translation is revised by a second qualified linguist, separate from the translator. For medical content this two-person principle is essential, and Orion Translations applies it to every medical project: specialist translation first, independent revision second.
- Usually not. Patient information leaflets and labelling need accurate specialist translation that complies with the regulatory template of the target market, but they do not normally require a sworn translator. Sworn translation becomes necessary when a medical document, such as a medical report or certificate, must be submitted to Spanish courts, immigration offices or other official bodies.
- Orion Translations uses a layered process: translation by a medically qualified linguist, terminology checks against approved glossaries and drug name databases, independent revision by a second specialist, and a final quality control before delivery. For clinical trial documentation, back-translation is available when sponsors or ethics committees require it.