Medical Report Translation for Germany

Which report, and in which procedure

In Germany a medical report may be required for continuity of treatment, for insurance, and in certain residence and incapacity procedures. Reports issued in Türkiye may take the form of a single-doctor report, a medical board report or a hospital discharge summary, and each of these is structured differently. Finding out from the recipient which type of report is wanted makes sure that the right document is translated.

Board reports carry the opinions and the signatures of several doctors; the translation carries each doctor’s section and signature across separately and in full. Leaving out one doctor’s opinion breaks the integrity of the board’s decision.

Handwriting, reference ranges and privacy

The account below sets out the typical procedure; different institutions may ask for different certification for the same document. It is as well to put any point you are unsure about to the institution before you apply.

Carrying across the doctor’s title and speciality

In a medical report the title and the speciality of the doctor issuing it are the information that shows the weight the document carries; in Germany the distinction of a specialist (Facharzt) can be decisive. The translation carries the doctor’s title and speciality across as the document has them; it assigns no German specialist title to the person, and simply renders the title on the Turkish document intelligibly. The diploma number, the name of the institution and the details of the speciality on the doctor’s stamp are carried across in full as well, because they show who issued the document. Where the report is being submitted for an insurance or incapacity procedure, the dates and the periods are of particular importance and are carried across exactly. Translating this information accurately and in full means the report reads dependably, whoever receives it; this article is for general information and is not a medical opinion.

ICD codes are not translated; they stay as they are

The diagnostic codes in medical reports (ICD, in the ICD-10-GM version in Germany) are an international standard; whatever diagnosis a code stands for – E11.9, say – it stands for the same everywhere in the world. These codes are not translated but carried across as they stand; ‘interpreting’ what a code corresponds to, or altering it, risks a medical error. The same principle holds for laboratory units, drug names and dosage notation: these are preserved exactly. The translation renders the text; it does not alter codes or measured values.

Medical terminology and abbreviations

Medical reports are dense with abbreviations and with terms of Latin origin. Where what an abbreviation stands for cannot be established with certainty from the document, the translator writes no invented expansion; the abbreviation is kept and, where necessary, marked [expansion uncertain]. Medical terms are translated with their established counterpart in the target language; a free reading can lead to a diagnosis being misunderstood. With this type of document, precision comes before fluency.

The test and imaging results in the annexes to a report are part of the document too. Where blood test printouts, pathology reports or imaging assessments form a single whole with it, the translation covers those annexes as well; leaving an annex out makes the evidence the diagnosis rests on invisible. Measured values, reference ranges and units are preserved exactly within the annexes as well. An insurance or treatment assessor will most often want these annexes together with the main report, so settling at the outset which annexes belong to the document meets any request that may follow. This completeness allows the doctor or the institution reading the report to see the whole picture; this article is for general information and is not a medical opinion.

The structure of the discharge summary (Arztbrief) is preserved

A discharge summary is a structured document made up of patient history, findings, diagnosis and treatment sections; in Germany the Arztbrief follows that structure. The translation preserves those sections and their order; summarising a section or merging two of them damages the clinical readability of the document. The doctor’s stamp and signature are marked in square brackets; the hospital letterhead and the date are carried across exactly. In reports running to several pages the page order is preserved.

Certification, stamps and common mistakes

Where an apostille is needed for an official procedure, the order holds: apostille first, then a translation that includes the apostille. In Germany an official translation must bear the stamp of a translator sworn in by a court (öffentlich bestellter und beeidigter Übersetzer). Common mistakes:

• Altering an ICD code or a laboratory unit by ‘translating’ it.
• Writing an invented expansion for an uncertain abbreviation.
• Summarising the sections of a discharge summary and breaking its structure.

Germany is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position on the official HCCH list. You can see the level of certification required for other documents on our document types page, review the cost on our pricing page, and upload your document for a quote. This page is for general information and is no substitute for medical or legal advice; confirm current requirements with the institution concerned.