Linguistic QA ensures that medical and clinical translations meet high standards of accuracy, clarity, consistency, and terminology alignment.
At TranslatingScience, I perform detailed linguistic reviews that include error categorisation, terminology verification, readability improvements, and documentation quality control, in line with Life Sciences and CRO standards.
This sample demonstrates a standard Linguistic QA review process.
Source segment
The patient should take the medication once daily with food.
Initial translation (target language)
El paciente debe tomar la medicación una vez al día con comida.
Issues identified
- “Con comida” is grammatically correct but less appropriate for clinical documentation. In medical Spanish, “con alimentos” is the preferred standard term, as it avoids colloquial tone and aligns with patient‑facing clinical phrasing.
- Terminology: In Spanish, “medicación” usually refers to all the drugs a patient is taking, while in English “medication” often means a single drug. That’s why the accurate translation here is “medicamento”.
Error categorization
- Terminology: medicación → medicamento
- Register: con comida → con alimentos
Proposed corrected version
El paciente debe tomar el medicamento una vez al día con alimentos.
Reviewer notes
- The corrected version improves terminology accuracy and aligns with standard phrasing in patient-facing clinical materials.
- The structure remains faithful to the source while enhancing clarity and naturalness.
©JSValenzuela
