Can you tell us something about the cost?
All projects are billed on an hourly basis. As there is a large difference in the compensation for doctors and medical personnel in each country, the hourly rate will depend on the specific field, level of expertise necessary, and the target language. For example, a cardiovascular specialist in Turkey will be considerably less expensive than a similar specialist in France or the United States. Rates start from EUR 45 per hour.

What sort of specialists do you work with?
All reviewers are physicians or other qualified medical specialists. They are living and working in the target market and often working in some of the best hospitals and clinics within their respective field. Needless to say, they are fully aware of the state of the art in their specific medical field. In consultation with you we locate an appropriate in-country specialist for your project. This could be a nurse, laboratory technician, surgeons or other healthcare professional.

Can we verify the qualifications of the physicians or medical specialists?
We believe in being completely open and transparent. At your request, we will provide you with the background and resume or curriculum vitae of the specific physicians or medical specialists who will be working on your project. If required, you can review and approve them in advance.

How about turn-a-round time?
A validator can generally review and correct 1000-2000 words (approximately 5-10 pages) per hour. The actual time will depend on the quality of the translation, complexity of the text, as well as any specific requests. With sufficient advance notice of the upcoming project, the turn-a-round time is typically just a few days for a small volume or 7 to 10-days for 200-300 page documents. As deadlines are sometimes very short, we are as flexible as possible and can often deliver sooner.

Will the same person be available to proofread future releases of the product or similar products?
In most cases, the same physician or medical specialist will review future products as well. Although we make every effort to use the same people, there are situations where this does not work due to deadlines, vacations, and occasional turnover.

What sort of tools do you use?
To make the process as efficient and fast as possible, we are as flexible and responsive as possible. We can use most of the software programs on the market and whenever possible will adapt to your existing process, software tools and other requirements. If you do not have a specific requirement, then due to the variety of different file formats, we recommend using Adobe Acrobat and inserting comments directly in the Acrobat PDF files using “notes”. This reduces the chance of making mistakes while incorporating feedback from the validator.

Do you use written corrections?
If this is the only way to complete the project we will work with printed documents and hand-write the comments in the document or in a separate electronic file. We advise against sending printed documents as it takes longer, increases costs, and has the potential of errors when incorporating the written comments into the electronic files. Whenever possible, we work with electronic files.

How about liability?
Although not generally in the public records, there are examples of translation errors that have resulted in potential liability issues. Other than withdrawing a product completely from the market, there is no way to completely eliminate all risk. But by using our medical specialists you will be reducing exposure to potential liability claims.

In what way do you handle the confidentiality aspects of documents?
All projects, documents, files and other information is kept strictly confidential. We have written non-disclosure agreements with our clients and all of our staff and validators are under strict confidentiality and have signed non-disclosure agreements. We will protect the confidentiality of our clients information to the maximum extent allowed by law.

Where do you find qualified medical specialists?
Due to our long-standing experience and knowledge of the medical search business we have extensive networks in hospitals, clinics, and with medical peer groups around the world. Our network includes tens of thousands of medical specialists in all fields.

How about Eastern Europe or Asia?
Our network extends to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) as well as most Asian countries and languages.