What Is Transcription and How Does It Relate to Translation?

The difference between these two services is simple: a transcription is a written record of a statement or statements expressed verbally in their original form, while a translation is a written or spoken transformation of a statement or statements from one language into another.

Going beyond basic definitions, let’s look at a quick example to further illustrate this difference: Imagine we are magically transported to one of the battle scenes from the Game of Thrones. We see Khal Drogo (played by Jason Momoa) about to tear into another warrior with his bare hands. Someone in the crowd shouts: “Fichas Jahakes Moon!” You’re in shock, but still manage to grab your smartphone and leave a voicemail describing the blow-by-blow for your closest friend and GoT superfan. Your friend could then transcribe your spoken words by sending them in a text message to his mom: “Fichas Jahakes Moon!” Now if your friend’s mom wanted to pass along the message to her friend who doesn’t understand the fictional language, Dothraki, but only English, for example, she could translate the phrase writing: “Take his braid!”—which makes sense, since Dothrakis cut off their opponents’ braids after a victory.

Meanwhile, back in the real world…medical transcription services have been a staple in the life sciences industry almost from the beginning. Transcriptionists save physicians and other professionals time by writing out and editing verbal dictation for notes, medical charts, medical records, or communications with other medical professionals.

Meanwhile, back in the real world…medical transcription services have been a staple in the life sciences industry almost from the beginning. Transcriptionists save physicians and other professionals time by writing out and editing verbal dictation for notes, medical charts, medical records, or communications with other medical professionals.

Outside of the medical context, transcriptionists play an important role in situations like the following:

• Market research – e.g., transcribing conversations with focus group participants or customer survey respondents
• Interviews – e.g., creating a written record of a podcast, radio, or television interview
• Group discussions – e.g., during an important board meeting, a transcriptionist may be called in to take notes and keep a written record of what was said and by whom
• Court cases – e.g., a transcriptionist specially trained in legal transcription keeps a record of court proceedings
• Legal transcription – e.g., during a legal mediation process, a transcriptionist may be present to ensure that both parties have a written record of any agreements or conclusions reached for their reference

At DTS Language Services, Inc., our professionals can transcribe anything with audio or video content. Suppose you have an audio recording of a three-day conference about a new type of medical device for continuous glucose monitoring. A transcriptionist at DTS could produce a written version of the recordings for your reference. These transcripts would also make it easier for you to discuss relevant information with other participants as well as those who did not attend the seminar.

While medical transcription has long been a staple in the life sciences industry, as many companies have become globally connected, medical document translation is becoming another staple service of the industry. Translators with subject matter expertise, transform written text from one language into another. So, if you wanted employees who only speak German also to benefit from the medical device conference transcripts, then someone from DTS’s German team could translate the transcripts from English.

In fact, specialists at DTS can translate from English into at least 100 different languages and vice versa. We offer a wide variety of languages to meet the needs of our clients. If you need medical document translation, clinical trial translation, medical device translation, and biotechnology translation, contact us and we will accommodate you.

It’s not hard to come up with reasons why medical transcription is an essential component to keeping your organization humming along like a well-tuned engine. Besides prioritizing patient safety, global life sciences companies have profitability, legality, and regulatory concerns to bear in mind.

With all that’s at stake, it’s important to choose your transcription service provider with care. Here are the top areas to consider when it comes to human transcription services:

• Accuracy is the Highest Priority: Doctors and other medical professionals treat many patients over the course of a single day or week. Accurate records allow them to reference previous treatment strategies and follow-up with the patient to prevent a relapse or treat any further complications swiftly.

• Healthcare is Becoming Increasingly Collaborative: Even in smaller medical facilities, it’s rare for only one doctor or healthcare provider to focus on a single patient case. This means it’s critical to share patient data if we want to ensure proper patient care. Maintaining reliable records is especially important where multiple specialists are involved. Medical transcriptionists facilitate the flow of information between many different practitioners, researchers, and scientists, regardless of the size of the team.

• Communication Matters: When doctors and specialists are not available to monitor patient care, the work falls to nurses and other support staff. Reliable and accurate medical record-keeping ensures that patient care is seamless throughout the course of the treatment regimen.
• Consistency is Important for Insurance Purposes: When shopping for transcription services, you will want to ensure that your language partner understands the importance of consistency. Keeping consistent records for the purpose of billing insurance companies for the cost of care administered is a crucial responsibility. Without accurate and reliable records, there’s a good chance your facility won’t get paid.

• HIPAA Compliance: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a hallmark of the modern healthcare system. When the act passed in 1996, it revolutionized medical record-keeping throughout the U.S., but it also required a significant overhaul of records departments and standardization of written communications. In addition to ensuring medical professionals can do their jobs to the best of their abilities, HIPAA-compliant records serve as the primary basis for legal arguments should complications occur or a lawsuit come about.