The Role Of Greek Translations In Critical Medical Studies

Professionals engaged in performing Greek translations of such studies are therefore instrumental in bridging the gap between local researchers and those based in other countries. Properly and efficiently overcoming the language barrier, not only in the medical field but also in other critical and non-critical industries, is crucial in the success of any endeavor. And the translator holds the key in inter-language understanding, especially where and when it matters most.

For example, a major pharmaceutical company like Merck regularly conducts tests and medical trials across the globe, and the literature related to each of such trials is translated to a number of languages, including Greek. The reason behind such efforts is, essentially, to convey a strong sense of transparency—a pharmaceutical drug that does not hide its experiments and procedures is one that can be trusted, so the assumption goes.

But cynicism aside, Greece was indeed the starting point of what can be considered a “new wave” of self-investigation targeting medical companies, which undoubtedly involves Greek translators. It all started in 2001 when a rumor circulated in hospitals in Greece involving doctors unscrupulously removing appendices or misdiagnosing appendicitis in non-Greek patients.

A small group of medical researchers, doctors and scientists followed through with the rumor, conducted an investigation and discovered the truth: that appendices removed from patients with Albanian names in six Greek hospitals were more than three times likely to have been healthy, their unwitting owners not even needing the appendectomy. Now, the said team, headed by one local math prodigy-turned-physician named John Ioannidis, has become sort of “legendary” for its efforts in making the results of medical research more reliable. A Herculean effort, some even say “quixotic,” but it nevertheless helps people ask the right questions.

But how do Greek translations enter the picture? Simple: as the centre of the team’s operations is in Greece, while much of the materials they sift through are related studies written in another language, translating such research papers competently and accurately into Greek is vital in helping the team ensure the veracity of their findings. Through accurate Greek translations, more and more local researcher-physicians are realizing the supreme importance of questioning the certainties they have been taking for granted.

And that is only one part of the bigger picture. The medical establishment based in Greece—whether for profit or not—requires the best and most accurate Greek translations of research done in other countries, so as to ensure efficiency in their own local studies. Consider the fact that a single small mistake—a difference of a single chemical symbol or formula of a compound or misunderstanding an experimental procedure—could have deleterious implications to a medical study.

The importance of properly translating Greek in the context of performing international medical studies can be understood in the simplest term: how any medical study benefiting from the accurate translation into Greek could eventually save a life or alleviate someone’s suffering.

By: clacandazo

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Charlene Lacandazo works for Rosetta Translation, a well established translation company in Shanghai, with headquarters in London. Rosetta Translation provides high quality Greek translations and interpreting services worldwide.