Medical negligence and personal injury – how professional translation can help you to make a better case

Medical negligence and personal injury claims can be complex and challenging, but when there is also a foreign language element, solicitors need to take extra care to ensure they do everything they can for their clients. An important part of this is instructing a professional legal translation service. Professional legal translators have the required language skills, legal understanding and translation experience to help you build the best case possible. This article looks at why professional legal translation is essential in personal injury and medical negligence cases with a foreign language element. 

Medical negligence, personal injury and legal translation

There are broadly two situations in which you might need the assistance of a legal translator in a personal injury or medical negligence case. Firstly, if you are dealing with a case involving an accident, illness, or medical treatment of an English speaker abroad. The second circumstance is where you are dealing with the case of a non-English or non-native English speaker who has suffered an accident or injury, or where they received medical treatment in the UK, which has gone wrong. Every case is different, and there are a number of elements which may require the skills of a legal translator and in some cases, also an interpreter.

What can a legal translator or interpreter help with?

If you are working with a client who does not speak English, you will need the services of an interpreter to communicate with them. It is essential that you instruct a specialist legal translator and do not rely on the services of a person who is simply bilingual. When you consider the level of detail you require from a client to build a strong personal injury or medical negligence case, it is clear that you need the help of a specialist. A trained legal interpreter has an excellent understanding of what is required in law to make a successful claim and as a result, they understand what information you are trying to extract from your client. This can make the process much better, quicker and more straightforward. 

Where a client has met with a solicitor overseas in relation to their accident or medical negligence but now wishes to pursue their claim in the UK, you may need to have notes from a previous solicitor translated. Time is of the essence in such cases, and having an experienced legal translator who can provide a quick but reliable translation is vital. 

If a client has been examined in another country, received medical treatment for their injury in another country, or received negligent medical treatment abroad, you may need to translate medical notes. Many personal injury cases, particularly medical negligence cases, are decided on the information contained in these medical notes, so accurate translation is vital to the outcome of the case. A legal translator with experience working in personal injury and medical negligence cases can fully understand what is required and ensure a high level of accuracy in their translation. 

If an accident or negligent medical treatment has taken place abroad, you may have several witnesses who are non-English speakers. As a result, you will need to have their witness statements translated. Witness statements, including those of medical staff, are essential in building a strong case. The translator must provide a translation that is as close to the witness's testimony as possible, to ensure the description of the events leading to medical negligence or the accident or injury is clear. 

In addition to these specific elements, a professional legal translator understands the importance of providing a high level of service. Court deadlines are strict, and only a professional legal translator can provide an accurate and efficient translation, whilst being mindful of important deadlines. We guarantee to deliver high-quality translations on time, and we offer a money-back guarantee if we don’t. 

Contact us for High-Quality Legal Translation And Interpreter Services

If you need legal translation or interpreting services for a personal injury or medical negligence case, we can help. Our expert interpreters can help your firm to deliver excellence for your clients. We offer native-speaker understanding with professionalism and reliability. To discuss your specific needs with a member of our team, contact us today.