A test result is the document with the least text and the most numbers. That is exactly why many people think it is easy to translate. In reality a laboratory form and a radiology report belong to the most refined part of medical translation: an error in one unit turns a normal value into a pathological one, and mixing up "hypointense" and "hyperintense" signal in an MRI report creates a completely different clinical picture. We translate the results of laboratory, instrumental and imaging examinations so that the receiving doctor sees exactly what the author of the original described.
What kinds of results we translate
Laboratory tests
- complete blood count and differential
- biochemistry: liver and kidney function tests, lipid profile, electrolytes
- coagulation panel (INR, APTT, D-dimer, fibrinogen)
- hormone panel: thyroid, sex hormones, cortisol, insulin
- tumour markers (PSA, CA-125, CEA, AFP and others)
- serology and infection panel, PCR tests
- urine and smear tests, bacteriological culture with antibiogram
- histology and immunohistochemistry reports
- genetic and molecular tests, karyotype, NGS panels
Instrumental and radiology examinations
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with and without contrast
- computed tomography (CT), CT angiography, PET-CT
- radiography, mammography, densitometry
- ultrasound, Doppler, echocardiography
- ECG, Holter monitoring, EEG, EMG
- endoscopy: gastroscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy
Units and reference intervals: the main risk
The most frequent and most dangerous error in the translation of a laboratory result concerns units. Most Georgian laboratories use the SI system (mmol/L, µmol/L, g/L), while American and some European laboratories use conventional units (mg/dL, ng/mL, g/dL). Glucose 5.5 mmol/L and glucose 99 mg/dL are the same value, but if the number stayed and the unit changed in the translation, the result loses its clinical meaning.
Our approach is simple and strict:
- numbers and units are carried over as in the original, we never "translate" values
- the reference interval stays that of the original laboratory, because it is the norm for a specific method and equipment
- when the receiving country's system is different, we attach a translator's note about the unit system to the translation
- the decimal separator (comma or point) is adapted to the target language standard, so that 5,5 is not read as 55
The language of a radiology report
An MRI and CT report is written in a specific, standardised vocabulary that radiologists all over the world read the same way. The translator must have full command of this vocabulary in both languages:
- MRI: T1- and T2-weighted images, FLAIR, DWI, ADC map, signal intensity (hypo-, iso-, hyperintense), the pattern of contrast enhancement
- CT: density in Hounsfield units (HU), hypo- and hyperdense areas, window settings, contrast phases
- Standardised classifications: BI-RADS in mammography, PI-RADS in prostate MRI, LI-RADS in liver imaging, TI-RADS in thyroid ultrasound, Bosniak in renal cysts
- Oncological staging: the TNM classification, which is carried over unchanged and never "decoded" in the translation
These classifications are international and the abbreviation stays unchanged in the translation. Our task is to carry over the descriptive part so that the location, size, contours and relationship to the adjacent structures are reflected with anatomical precision.
Histology and oncology documentation
The histology report is the most important document for an oncology patient, because the treatment scheme depends on it. Here the translation must carry over unchanged: the histological type of the tumour and the grade of differentiation, the Gleason score in prostate cancer, the receptor status (ER, PR, HER2) and the proliferation index (Ki-67) in breast cancer, the status of the resection margins, lymph node involvement. Only a translator experienced in oncology terminology works on these documents, and every parameter is checked by a second specialist.
Translation and interpretation: where the line runs
The translator translates a test result, they do not interpret it. This means that:
- we do not add the words "normal" or "pathological" in the translation if they are not in the original
- we do not correct a possible error in the original, but point it out with a translator's note
- the report author's wording ("cannot be excluded", "probably", "consistent with") is carried over with the same degree of certainty, because for a radiologist these words carry an exact meaning
Format: forms, tables and images
A laboratory result is usually a table: parameter, result, unit, reference interval, deviation flag. We keep the table in the same structure, so that the receiving doctor can compare the original and the translation column by column. In the case of a radiology examination we translate the written report; the images themselves (DICOM files or a disc) do not need translation and are sent to the foreign clinic in their original form. If the report is scanned or photographed, we first assess legibility.
Test results together with the discharge summary
A test result is rarely sent on its own: a foreign clinic usually requests the tests, the radiology reports and the discharge summary as one package. When one team works on the whole package, the diagnosis in the discharge summary and the conclusion in the MRI description sound in the same terms, and the patient's terminology base is used for every subsequent test as well. All the services of our medical translation practice are built on exactly this principle of unity.
Certification and deadlines
For a doctor and a clinic a translation certified with the agency's seal is enough. For insurance reimbursement, a court or disability status you will need notarization and, for submission abroad, an apostille. A standard test package or one radiology report is ready in 1 working day, and in an urgent case within a few hours.
Frequently asked questions
Do you convert units into the receiving country's system?
No, the numbers and units stay as in the original, because conversion is the doctor's competence. Where needed we attach a translator's note about the unit system to the translation.
Does the MRI disc need translating?
No, the images are in the international DICOM format and do not need translation. Only the radiologist's written report is translated.
Do you translate histology reports for an oncology clinic?
Yes, this is one of our main directions. A translator experienced in oncology terminology works on the report and every parameter is checked by a second specialist.
Is the table format kept in the translation?
Yes, the structure of the laboratory form is preserved column by column, so that the original and the translation can easily be compared.
What happens if there is an obvious error in the original?
In the translation we render the original unchanged and mark the suspected error with a translator's note. Only the laboratory or doctor who issued the report can correct it.
How long does the translation of a test package take?
A standard package in 1 working day, in an urgent case the same day, within a few hours.