** This article is updated regularly. It was last updated in December 2021 **

Medical tourism is a huge global trend, with individuals travelling to other countries to undergo cosmetic procedures on a regular basis. The pandemic has caused plenty of disruption to the medical tourism industry, with patients being unable to travel, but as the world learns to live with Covid-19, the aviation industry is opening up again and enabling people to book new appointments for treatment. With patients keen to catch up on their postponed treatments, 2022 is expected to be a busy year for medical tourism.

While plenty of treatments go smoothly, there are unfortunately some less-than-ethical companies out there. So how do you know if you can trust the company you’re considering using for your treatment in 2022? This is where professional translators can help. By using language translation services, you can investigate the medical company in depth. As your translation needs medical knowledge, the language service may cost a little more, but it’s money well spent if it keeps you safe from harm.

How to translate your desire for treatment into action

There are numerous reasons for getting cosmetic medical treatment overseas. In some cases, it may be that the waiting time for such treatments in the patient’s home country is unacceptably long. Other patients might find that the cost of their treatment overseas is cheaper than it would be at home, even with the cost of the flights and accommodation factored into the equation. And yet others travel overseas as the procedures that they desire aren’t available in their home country.

Of course, the fact that medical tourism comes with a holiday experience thrown in is also a contributing factor in many people’s decisions to opt for cosmetic treatment overseas.

When it comes to translating that desire for treatment into action, it’s time to jump online and do your research. There are an awful lot of companies out there trying to tempt you to use their services, so you need to be methodical and thorough in your research. And this is where language translation services come in.

Using translation services to aid your research

Most of us start our research online these days, whatever the task at hand. This is certainly true for many of those looking into medical tourism. However, when you search for information online, your options are limited by the number of languages that you speak. Yes, you can use Google Translate and the like to help you read information in other languages, but relying on imperfect automated translation solutions for complicated medical topics is a long way from ideal. So, what are your options?

Well, the easiest approach is to use translation services. Companies that provide these services will use professional translators (human ones!) to deliver the information you need in the language you need. Before you pick a random company though, consider their expertise. Ofer Tirosh, CEO of Tomedes, which provides translation services to the medical industry, posits that patients should always seek out specific medical experience when it comes to the organisations undertaking their translations; qualified and certified translators are an absolute must when it comes to dealing ensuring the right medical terminology are applied.

The other advantage of using translation services is that they can easily provide translators for multiple languages. After all, you may need to research cosmetic treatment options in more than one country if you want to achieve both the best quality service and the best value for money.

What qualities should a translator have? To help you research cosmetic procedures, your translator should be discreet, empathetic and efficient. They should also, of course, have outstanding language skills, plus knowledge of medical terminology in both your own language and that of the country you’re considering travelling to for treatment.

How can professional translators meet your translation need?

The list of tasks that professional linguists can undertake to help meet your translation need is fairly long.

First and foremost, language translation services can help you to research a potential treatment provider in their own language. This means you can investigate a company’s reputation thoroughly, rather than relying solely on the marketing materials that it has chosen to produce in your native language.

Professional translators can also help you to check out the cosmetic medical company’s credentials, for example by confirming that they hold all the registrations and insurances that they should.

More broadly, professional translators can help you to look at medical regulations more widely in the target country. They can translate to English from a foreign language to help you consider how the regulations differ from those at home and whether any procedures or medications are used that would be deemed unsafe in your native country.

Staying safe when travelling overseas for cosmetic treatment

Understanding the medical language you’re faced with can help keep you safe when travelling overseas for cosmetic medical treatment. It can ensure that you have a thorough, well-researched idea of what will happen to you during your procedure.

Professional translators providing such services are becoming increasingly important as the medical tourism industry grows. That market size is expected to reach USD 179.6 billion by 2026, highlighting the translation need that the sector is driving.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many people’s travel plans, including those who were due to undergo cosmetic procedures abroad. European air traffic in September 2020 was 54% down on 2019 levels,

But that doesn’t mean that you can’t plan for post-pandemic treatments. Hungary, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Turkey are all popular medical tourism destinations within Europe. When it comes to translation services, UK clients can easily access all of the languages required to investigate medical companies in these countries. Whether you need professional translation services that translate from Spanish to English, Hungarian to English, Polish to English or more, the expertise you need should be easy to find.

Of course, you’ll want to vet your language translation services thoroughly as well. Grill them on their medical expertise, read recent reviews and analyse everything from their communication style to the timescales to which they work.

Travelling overseas for a cosmetic medical procedure can be a nerve-wracking experience. Calm your nerves by looking up translation services the UK and using professional translators to ensure that you opt for treatment with a reputable company that is committed to achieving the best outcomes for its patients. And who wouldn’t want that?