Are you moving abroad or going for a longer trip but are under the care of a physician and take regular medications? Luckily, one does not exclude the other. Before your set off, take care of getting your medical documentation translation from English to Polish (or from Polish to English) for your new physician.
What is a prescription and when do we need its foreign language version?
A prescription is a medical document issued by a physician containing recommendations pertaining to medications or other pharmaceuticals which will be taken by the patient. Most frequently, a prescription contains information such as patient’s data, name of medications, dosage, frequency of administration and possibly other details connected with therapy.
Increasingly more often patients require regular access to specific medications. Purchase can be significantly hindered while travelling abroad. One is not always able to purchase and take the appropriate amount of medications for his/her entire stay. Sometimes it is impossible due to regulations applicable in a given country, airline regulations or simply short shelf life of drugs. In such cases, having a prescription translated into English turns out to be helpful. A prescription must be translated, if the patient plans any treatment abroad or needs this document for insurance purposes, consultation with a foreign physician etc.
Travelling outside the European Union, cross-border prescription
When we plan to travel abroad and while taking certain medications regularly, it is a good idea to ask a physician to issue a so-called cross-border prescription. However, it must be emphasised that this kind of prescription is valid only in the countries of the European Union and allows to purchase a drug available for sale in another Member State of the European Union. As we know, Great Britain is no longer a part of the European Union; therefore, if we intend to visit a non-EU country, a cross-border prescription will be of no use and we will need a professional to translate (English into Polish or Polish into English) your prescription for you.
Translation of a prescription is indispensable for patients travelling outside the European Union but also for those who need a special compounded medication. The second situation is particularly important as in each case it requires having a prescription translated (a cross-border prescription does not apply here).
Who will translate your prescription best?
It is important to remember that translation should only be done by a person who can speak a given foreign language fluently. Even if you can translate into English, it is worth ordering a translation of your medical documentation into English with a professional who can boast some additional experience in this specific industry. Needless to say, such a person should be a medical translator, preferably a sworn translator. Medical translations require specialist knowledge, including knowledge of medical terminology; therefore, it is vital to use services of translators who specialise in medical translations. Only such a specialist translator can guarantee high quality of translation, maintaining confidentiality and integrity of a medical document at the same time. The Office of the Sworn Translator and Interpreter of the English Language, Jacek Kasprzyk has been delivering medical translations for many years. If you need a translation from Polish to English or from English to Polish, you can order both types of translation services in our office. Other medical translations offered by our Office are described in the following article: https://www.tlumaczenia-kasprzyk.pl/blog/tlumaczenie-dokumentow-medycznych-wypis-ze-szpitala-epikryza
Technology can support, but…
Finally, it must be emphasised that even though more and more advanced translation tools are available in the market, such as medical translator online that can translate Polish into English for you (producing machine translation), the human factor remains irreplaceable. Only an experienced specialist can guarantee that translation of medical documents ordered by the customers is immaculate, reliable and substantive and reflects on the content of translated text faithfully. The quality of certified medical translation services (including prescription translation) offered by the Office of the Sworn Translator and Interpreter of the English Language Jacek Kasprzyk can be described by the following values: lack of technological support, human experience, a grasp of words, ongoing contact with a customer, diligence, commitment and fair settlements. If you are looking for translation office offering medical document translation services characterised by the aforementioned qualities, do not hesitate to contact us!
Jacek Kasprzyk
Sworn Translator of the English Language in Wrocław
Source: Freepik