Now that I edit translations regularly, I am developing new tricks to make the process more efficient. Below, I’ll share two of those tricks. First, though, let me start at the beginning, when I would reject any offer to edit a translation.
 
I used to fear editing because the editor is the last set of eyes on a document, and that’s a lot of responsibility. Any time I saw “proof” or “edit” associated with a potential job, I would delete it or turn it down without a second glance. I let my fear stand in the way of Cochran Language Services reaching its full potential.

​Conveniently, this spring, one of my clients started sending me weekend editing projects. I agreed to take short ones initially, my way of testing the waters. Guess what? The PM was satisfied with my efficient and thorough work, so she continued to send similar jobs. With time, this solidified my confidence in my eye for detail, understanding of scientific texts, and grasp of English grammar. Now, I look forward to seeing the project inquiry in my inbox on Fridays.
 
As promised, I’ll share with you two tricks I developed to streamline the editing process.

​1) Analyze the source text a day or two before. I search for terminology, abbreviations, etc. that I don’t recognize and look them up. This is, of course, easiest with short projects of <3,000 words. I’m positive that it could help with longer ones, though. What this does is keeps me from wasting editing time bouncing my attention back and forth between internet searches and the target document details.
 
2) Edit the headers/footers/letterheads on every page first, THEN tackle the body of the text. For the same reason above – it keeps me focused on one area of the text at a time. I can make sure footers are consistent with the source text. I can zero in on phone numbers, names, and addresses without thinking about scientific terms. Also, this eases me into the editing process. Sometimes, once you get into the body of text, it can overwhelm you, especially when errors and missing text abound (after all, you never know the quality of the translation until you set eyes on it). So, headers and footers give me a feel for the translator’s work.
 
I hope these two tricks help you, or that you recognize them because you use them too!

I can proudly say that, after 6 years in business, I’ve learned that there is a time for passively operating my business and for actively operating it. And, let me say, both have their challenges.
 
When COVID hit in early 2020, I found my stride with the active operation of my translation business. It included cold-contacting potential clients, writing bi-monthly blog posts, interacting on LinkedIn, and regularly posting on Instagram. These types of activities helped me find new clients and develop professional relationships with other translators. It didn’t feel like work, just part of my standard operating procedure.

Over the summer of 2021, though, I've had so much on my plate with selling and buying a home that I have not had time to be active in the above sense. So, I gave myself permission to stop the forward momentum of my business and to rely entirely on passive operations to simply keep it idling.
 
To me, being passive meant letting the work come to me. I checked my email for job offers from current clients and did those jobs. Of course, I also invoiced them and fielded client questions. I stopped investing in professional relationships, since I needed more time with friends during this high anxiety period. I knew my translator colleagues would still be on LinkedIn when I returned. These passive operations allowed me to maintain an income, my translation skills, and my long-term clients, all of which I was grateful for. However, I knew I could do better, and I started itching to move forward again (I don’t idle well, I get antsy).

​Since my new home went under contract this week, I decided that I'm ready to be active again, to blog and interact with the translator community. There’s just one problem… I have to re-wire my brain. See, since I stopped using the “active operations” muscle, it’s gone all flabby and weak, and my old friends Procrastination and Perfectionism easily overpower it. For example, today, I’m having a very difficult time sitting at my keyboard to write this come-back blog post. I wrote two sentences earlier, then decided it was time to brush my dog. I returned to the computer 10 minutes later, wrote two more sentences, then got up to make a snack. By then, it was time for a scheduled phone call with a friend. Now, it’s early afternoon and my perfectionist voice is piping up and telling me, “This post isn’t good enough, so you should save it and go back to it tomorrow with a clear mind.”
 
I am determined to continue flexing this muscle though and return to growing my business. After all, that same determination is what got me here in the first place. I look forward to seeing you on LinkedIn or in my inbox to discuss business and life as a translator. I've got lots to say after a few months away!

Every translation project calls for varying depths and types of research. Some of my projects stay on the linguistic level (i.e. I choose the correct word based on my expertise in the English and French languages). However, some jobs require digging deep into science in both languages in order to accurately translate the text. Those projects are among the most challenging and time-consuming. Below, I describe an example of the latter from my work last week, including the steps I took in order to provide the best translation I could.

Looking at the French terms, it was tempting to just “Anglicize” them - haploidentical, phenoidentical, genoidentical (all being a combination of a scientific term with the ending identical). However, only one of those terms, haploidentical, exists in English. Try doing a Google search for those other two, and you won’t get a significant number of hits. This suggests that the terms have been incorrectly translated as such, but there must be more appropriate terms used by reputable organizations, universities, and research centers.

Once I realized this, I researched the terms in French online. For example, la définition de ….. and la différence entre ...

Here are two of the French resources that helped my research:

1. From Limoges University, a presentation on "GREFFE de CELLULES SOUCHES HEMATOPOIETIQUES"
2. From Lilles University, a thesis presentation on "GREFFES DE CELLULES SOUCHES HEMATOPOÏETIQUES A PARTIR D’UN DONNEUR HAPLOIDENTIQUE : UN CHANGEMENT DE PARADIGME"

I learned that all 3 adjectives described whether the transplant was from a related or unrelated donor and whether the donor was a full (10/10) or partial match in terms of HLA type.

With that understanding, I then scoured the internet in English using combinations of the words in the definitions: “donor” “stem cells” “related” "unrelated" “10/10” “HLA.”
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Here are three of the English resources that supported my research:

1. From a newsletter, this article  is entitled "Half-Matched Yet Perfect."
2. From the Cancer Treatment Centers for America, an informational page entitled " Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant."
3. From the Cleveland Clinic, a list of terms about "Types of Blood & Marrow Transplants."

At that point, I was confident that I’d found the best translations and could accurately apply them to the project. If a project manager questioned my choice later on, then I would be able to justify it with reliable resources and a clear explanation.

The entire experience reminded me that sometimes the translation looks a lot different than the source term. Therefore, as a linguist, I have to do plenty of research when using scientific terms. I will say, in closing, that it’s this kind of linguistic problem-solving that keeps my work interesting.

When I decided to buy this website (www.medicalsciencetranslations.com), I knew it was a bold decision. On the one hand, other translators and translation agencies provide medical science translations, and they would surely precede my listing on Google. Who was I to claim it in my website title/address? On the other, I couldn’t think of a better way to market my services and specialization in one fell swoop.
 
Today, about 3 years after purchasing the domain name, I jumped for joy to see my website on the first page of Google when I searched the phrase! Now, that could partly be due to the fact that I go to my website often, and Google figured that out, thus presenting it on that first page. I like to think, though, that it’s because I have been slowly and consistently writing blog posts.

Last winter, ​I finally understood that generating information on the big ol’ world wide web is the best way to establish my business’ reputation. It’s like setting up shop in a virtual corner, so that people might stumble across it when they search the internet. Since coming to that realization, I have posted once a week or so for about 4 months.
 
It’s not easy coming up with content. Oftentimes, I sit down knowing I need to write but not knowing what it’ll be about. (Today is one of those days!) I always come up with something eventually. Be it talking about current work, new terminology, translation steps and tips, or business in general.
 
Consider this post a way of patting myself on the back for making an impression on the internet. Cheers to continuing the forward momentum!

​Each trial must have certain texts ensuring the trial is conducted, among other things in a safe, consistent, and ethical manner. When it is an international trial, those texts must be translated into relevant foreign languages, French, English, Spanish, etc. Consider the short list below.

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• The IB, or investigator’s brochure - a compilation of non-clinical and clinical data relevant to the study of the drug;
• The ICF, or informed consent form and information leaflet. Sometimes, there are different ones for the patient’s spouse, pregnant partner, and for adults and minors – the former is a document subjects (and/or their representative) sign to confirm that they agree to participate in the clinical trial, and the latter provides them with all the information they need to understand what to expect during the trial and other aspects related to the study;
• The Clinical Study Protocol, a document that describes how a clinical trial will be conducted;
• The CRF, or case report form - a document designed to record all protocol-required information on each subject in the study;
• Curriculum vitae and/or other relevant documents evidencing the investigators’ and sub-investigators’ qualifications;
• Approval/favorable opinion of institutional review board (IRB)/independent ethics committee (IEC) concerning the above documents, among others.

 
Now, picture AstraZeneca, PRA Health Sciences, or IQVIA deciding to conduct a trial in France and the United States. There will be French and English-speaking patients, ethics committees, doctors, etc., and they will all need access to the same information in their native language.

​Guess what? That’s where I come in (and all the other medical science translators). The pharmaceutical company sends the documents to a translation agency, which hires translators for each one. As a result, those three players are essential to the field of clinical research.

My job is to ensure that the translation accomplishes the same things as the source document. For example, the ICF and leaflet must be clear enough for the patient to understand, so the language cannot be overly technical. Another example, the CRF in English has to read the same as the one in French, so that doctors in different countries ask patients the same questions and accurately assess the same parameters.

I chose this specialization because I knew work would be consistent. As long as clinical trials are being conducted, there will be work for translators.