Medical and Scarring Report Translation for Asylum

Medical report translation for asylum: what you receive

Medical documents are personal and often painful to share. We handle them with care, and we translate them with precision, because a single wrong word can change the meaning of a diagnosis.

Your translation includes:

• The full text of every page, including patient details, dates of admission and discharge, examination findings, test results, diagnosis and treatment.
• Medical terms in standard English clinical language, so a UK doctor, caseworker or judge can understand them.
• Abbreviations, doses and units kept exact, with the expanded form added where it helps.
• Body diagrams and sketches described, for example [body diagram: marks drawn on left forearm and upper back].
• Stamps, signatures and hospital seals described in square brackets.
• A signed certification statement that it is a true and accurate translation, with the date, the translator's full name, signature and contact details, and our credentials. We are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC.

Medical files are translated by a qualified human translator with medical subject experience. We never use machine translation for certified work, and a second linguist checks every figure and dose.

You receive a PDF by email. A signed printed copy is available on request.

Sample

Certified translation

Hospital discharge summary

Arabic → English

Patient name

redacted

Hospital

redacted hospital, redacted

Date of admission

redacted

Date of discharge

redacted

Examination findings

redacted

Diagnosis

redacted

Treatment given

redacted

Doctor

redacted

• [Round stamp: hospital, partly illegible]
• [Body diagram: marks drawn on left forearm and upper back]
• [Signature]

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

Medical documents we translate

Hospital records and discharge summaries

Hospital records translation for asylum usually covers admission notes, emergency department records, operation notes and discharge summaries. These can show the date and nature of an injury and how it was treated. We keep the hospital name, ward, file number and every date.

Injury and scarring reports

Some people have reports written by a doctor or forensic examiner in their home country after an attack or detention. Scarring report translation must describe each mark, its size, location and the doctor's opinion exactly as written. We never soften or strengthen the doctor's words.

Psychiatric and psychological reports

Psychiatric report translation covers assessments, diagnoses, treatment plans and letters from psychiatrists, psychologists or counsellors abroad. Mental health terms are translated using standard clinical English. Where the original uses a local or older term, we keep it and add a short note.

Prescriptions and GP letters

We translate prescriptions, pharmacy labels, clinic cards, vaccination records and letters from family doctors. Handwritten prescriptions are common, so we read them carefully and mark any word we cannot read with confidence.

Medico-legal reports into your language

In the UK, medico-legal reports (MLRs) are written in English by doctors who examine people seeking asylum. They often follow the Istanbul Protocol, the UN guidance on documenting torture. Many clients want to read their own report. Medico legal report translation from English into your language lets you understand what it says. Your solicitor may also want you to check the facts in it.

Medical terms, abbreviations and handwritten notes

Clinical terms

Medical words must be exact. "Fracture" and "crack", or "laceration" and "cut", can mean different things to a doctor. Our translator chooses the precise English clinical term that matches the original. If the original term is vague, we translate it plainly and do not make it more specific.

Abbreviations and doses

Doctors abroad use abbreviations from English, French, Arabic, Russian or local practice. We expand them where the meaning is certain, for example "BP [blood pressure]". Doses, units and frequencies are copied exactly: "500 mg, twice daily" stays "500 mg, twice daily". If a figure is unclear, we mark it as unclear. We never guess a number.

Handwriting

Hospital notes are often handwritten in a hurry. We translate what can be read and mark the rest as [illegible]. If a key word has two possible readings, we give both in a translator's note.

Care and confidentiality

We know these documents can describe very difficult events. Only the translator and the checker see your file. We do not ask you questions about what happened. Files are stored securely under UK GDPR and deleted after delivery.

Where your translated medical report is used

1. Your Home Office claim. Medical records from abroad can support your account. They are usually sent with your statement and other asylum claim evidence translation.
2. Your appeal. Translated medical evidence is often part of an asylum appeal bundle translation. Under the Tribunal's procedure rules, documents not in English must come with an English translation.
3. A fresh claim. New medical evidence may be part of further submissions. See fresh asylum claim translation.
4. Your GP and the NHS. After you arrive, your GP may find your past records useful. A medical records translation for GP UK use helps them understand past diagnoses, operations and medicines.
5. Work, study and support services. Some universities and employers ask about health needs. See our refugee document translation page for other documents used after a grant.

The caseworker or judge decides how much weight to give any medical evidence. We translate; we do not give legal or medical advice. For legal questions, contact a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly OISC).

Languages for medical report translation

We translate medical documents from and into:

• Arabic: records from Sudan, Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen. See Arabic asylum document translation.
• Farsi: Iranian hospital and clinic records. See Farsi asylum document translation.
• Urdu: Pakistani hospital records and prescriptions. See Urdu asylum document translation.
• Kurdish: Sorani and Kurmanji records from Iraq, Iran and Turkey. See Kurdish asylum document translation.
• Tigrinya: Eritrean clinic and hospital records. See Tigrinya asylum document translation.
• Pashto and Dari: Afghan hospital records. See Pashto and Dari asylum document translation.

Many medical records abroad are partly written in English or French. We translate the non-English parts and keep the English parts as they are, marked [in English in the original].

Medical report translation price and delivery time

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts. See our translation prices. If your deadline is close, ask about urgent asylum document translation.