Introduction
In today’s rapidly evolving world of medical clinical research, the requirement for precise and reliable translation services is greater than ever. Here’s a link to a Blog titled “Making Medical Translation A Differentiating Factor For Successful Clinical Trials” that delves into this issue in full detail.
With the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), the landscape of medical translation has been further transformed, with Generative AI technologies promising to revolutionize the translation process by offering consistency and speed. AI-optimized translation services can now be readily used for handling large volumes of routine scientific documents. AI can process vast amounts of text, critical when translating large volumes of clinical trial documents, research papers, and regulatory submissions.
While there are Pro’s to this emerging technology, Clinical Researchers also need to be aware of the potential Con’s it creates for their work. In this article, we will delve into the top three AI-translation Pro’s and Con’s clinical researchers need to be aware of:
AI Clinical Research Materials Translation: The Pro’s
Increased Speed & Productivity: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the sheer amount of clinical information generated has significantly increased in the globalized medical field. AI has proven indispensable for analyzing this data, making medical texts available in multiple languages in very short timeframes. AI tools such as ChatGPT can extract keywords from text and can complete the translation for each term, automatically adding hundreds of terms that may have taken the translator months to complete if they did it themselves.
Cost Efficiency: Cost efficiency is an expected outcome from any automation process. This is also true in Medical language translations. By implementing automated translation systems, companies can optimize their translation processes and save costs. But cost on its own should not be only criteria when making an AI translation choice, it is essential to consider the limitations and challenges associated with these systems and the ultimate value they provide.
Availability: AI translation falls under the umbrella of machine translation, i.e. processes that don’t rely on human beings and their availability.. These tools leverage always-on algorithms to review and understand language, and as such as available to use on a 24/7 basis. In the case of medical-specific language translators, the tools delve into each sentence from a medical terminology perspective, responding with translated words that are within the common medical vernacular.
AI Clinical Research Materials Translation: The Con’s
Accuracy: While AI medical translation tools excel at handling straightforward medical terminology, they can struggle with more complex content. Translating localized medical expressions, emerging medical technologies and processes, and even definitions of certain clinical protocol can pose challenges for these tools, These situations can lead to significant inaccuracies in the materials being translated.
Lack of Nuance and Context: Medical translations involve complex concepts with a plethora of used terminology, and can even be different dependent on where you are in the world. Take for example the French word “intoxication” which is considered in French to mean “poisoning”. The same word “intoxication” in English refers to a state of inebriation from consuming too much alcohol. AI translators can struggle with the abbreviations and acronyms used across the majority of medical literature, not to mention the shorthand notations utilized extensively in progress notes.
Quality Control: Generative AI utilizes prior translated content as context for new translations. However, with patient safety being a paramount concern for all clinical researchers, it is important to supplement this technology with medical professionals and other medical Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to ensure that the translated content is accurate and precise. Their deep understanding of scientific, medical, and technical fields guarantees that translations meet the highest standards of quality.
Conclusion
AI-translation capabilities in the medical field are growing rapidly every day, promising speed and consistency, while minimizing cost. But with patient health on the line, it is important to supplement adoption of Machine-Learning driven AI-technologies with experienced SME human oversight.
As a reliable translation partner, Language Scientific has developed an innovative approach to AI-optimized translations. Our translation methodology incorporates the latest in AI-algorithms, supplemented with a strict process of human-driven quality control, cross-checks, and client interaction, resulting in a finished product that encompasses both technical precision and the nuances of medical terminology.
Check out the Language Scientific AI-Optimized approach to all your translation needs. Or Contact Us to learn more.
