Translating your medical documents, accurate down to the last detail.
I'm Dao Huy (Lucas). Over the past seven years I've translated more than 1,000,000 words of medical material for U.S. health agencies, Pfizer and AstraZeneca. To me, every chart and drug dossier has to be exact down to the term and the dose, because a person's health is on the other side of it.
A native Vietnamese medical translator, specialized and dependable.
I'm Dao Huy (Lucas), a native Vietnamese translator, and honestly, I love the medical field. Over more than seven years I've translated over 1,000,000 words of medical material for U.S. health agencies, Pfizer and AstraZeneca, from patient charts and clinical-trial files to drug registration dossiers.
To me, medical translation is nothing like ordinary translation. It calls for an understanding of anatomy, pharmacology and regulatory requirements. So every translation goes through two passes: I translate using a clinical background, then review every term, unit and dose with the help of CAT tools like Trados, memoQ or Smartcat.
I translate English, Chinese and French into Vietnamese and Vietnamese into English, working alongside hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research organizations (CROs) and patients preparing to seek treatment abroad.
I work regularly with international agencies such as TransPerfect, Linguistica International and eTranslation, and also take direct projects from businesses and individuals. Whether you send a single chart page or a thousand-page dossier, I give it the same care.
Each type of medical document has its own terminology. I handle each group with the right expertise.
I translate patient charts, clinical-trial files, pharmaceutical material, package inserts and certified medical translations, both English to Vietnamese and Vietnamese to English.
Patient charts & records
Medical histories, lab results, discharge summaries and imaging reports for patients treated abroad.
Clinical trials
Informed consent forms (ICF), study protocols and clinical material, to the standard sponsors and CROs expect.
Pharma & registration
Drug labels, package inserts and registration dossiers that meet regulatory requirements.
Certified translation
Official medical paperwork needing notarization or certification for authorities, with consular legalization guidance.
Medical interpreting (3-way)
Over-the-phone interpreting (English to Vietnamese) for medical and legal situations, built through the TransPerfect network.
DTP & education material
Brochures, leaflets and patient health-education material, keeping the original layout in Word, PDF or InDesign.
What is medical translation?
Medical translation is the conversion of medical documents, such as patient charts, clinical-trial files, package inserts or pharmaceutical material, into another language, with near-absolute accuracy of terminology, units and dosage.
How is it different?
Medical documents carry Latin terms, active-ingredient names, units of measure and their own abbreviation conventions. The translator has to understand the clinical context so the meaning isn't distorted.
What does it cover?
Patient charts, clinical-trial files (ICF, protocols), package inserts, drug registration dossiers, medical-device material and scientific research.
Who needs it?
Hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research organizations (CROs), medical-device makers, and patients who need records translated for treatment abroad.
A solid medical translation isn't just accurate, it also fits its reader: documents for doctors use specialist terminology, while patient material needs plain language. I adapt the tone to the exact purpose of each document.
In medicine, one wrong character isn't just a typo. It can become a risk to the patient.
A real error, and an easy one when the translator lacks a pharmacology background:
Misreads or mistypes "mg" as "mcg".
Keeps the right unit, checks against the source protocol and reviews once more.
mg ≠ mcg · QD ≠ QID · "negative" isn't always "none". I know when these small differences become critical.
Five common mistakes in medical translation
These errors look small but can have clinical consequences. My process is built to eliminate them.
Confusing units
Mixing up mg and mcg, or mL and L, can throw the dose off by thousands of times. I always reconcile units against the source before delivery.
Misreading abbreviations
QD, BID, PRN, PO… each abbreviation has its own meaning. Misreading one symbol means the dosing instruction is wrong too.
Wrong drug names
Generic and brand names differ between countries. You have to look them up to choose the name recognized in the target market.
Dropping negation
Phrases like "no evidence of" or "rule out" can reverse the entire diagnostic meaning if translated carelessly, a genuinely dangerous error.
Breaking formatting & figures
Lab-result tables, dates and decimal points must stay exact. A single misplaced comma can skew a value.
Four clear steps, backed by CAT tools to ensure accuracy and terminology consistency.
Send the request & sign an NDA
You send the documents, language pair and deadline. An NDA is signed before I access sensitive material.
Quote within 10 minutes
A transparent quote by document type and complexity, no hidden fees and no obligation.
Translate & standardize terms
Translate with Trados/memoQ, using translation memory and glossaries; check every figure, unit and dose.
QA & delivery
A final quality check, delivery in the original format, with revisions until you're satisfied.
Throughput of 4,000 words/day · rush within 24h supported (surcharge +25–50%).
Patient records and research data are always kept strictly confidential.
Every project starts with a confidentiality agreement, even if you don't ask for one.
Over 1,000,000 words of protected health information (PHI) for U.S. health agencies, handled with HIPAA-aware safeguards. A Business Associate Agreement (BAA) is available on request.
Your content never passes through public machine-translation tools.
All documents and translations are deleted after delivery if you ask.
Files move over secure, access-controlled channels, never public uploads or open links, and access ends when the project does.
Your documents stay with me. I do not subcontract medical work or pass files to any third party.
Confidential by default
A workflow aligned with U.S. health-data protection standards (HIPAA principles for PHI), built from years of work for U.S. government and pharmaceutical clients.
- NDA signed up front
- Encrypted, private transfer
- No public machine translation
- Deleted on request
I treat every medical document as if it were my own patient's record: an NDA before I open a single file, secure handling from start to finish, no public machine translation, and permanent deletion on request. If anything about confidentiality worries you, tell me first and we will agree the terms in writing before any document changes hands.
Vietnamese is my mother tongue; English, Chinese and French are the bridge to international medicine.
More than seven years of medical expertise, built project by project.
Starting out freelance
My first Upwork contracts in e-commerce and localization. That was the foundation for the terminology discipline and process I rely on today.
Expanding into medical & legal
Began taking patient charts and court documents through TransPerfect, Linguistica International and eTranslation. This is when I truly stepped into clinically precise translation.
1,000,000+ words for U.S. public services
A vendor in the TransPerfect network for U.S. government and health agencies: medical records, immigration documents and administrative notices.
Pfizer & AstraZeneca
Over 50,000 words of medical material for two major drug makers, with very high demands on pharmaceutical terminology and consistency.
Clinical reports & trials
Adverse-effect reports (Bayer), clinical-trial consent forms and research material, in coordination with several translation agencies.
Medical batches & direct clients
Recurring medical document batches, linguistic quality assurance (LQA) and direct client work. I've kept a 4.99★ rating across 81 Upwork reviews.
Working remotely, serving clients worldwide.
I work online, so I can take projects from anywhere. The Vietnam time zone (UTC+7) is convenient for coordinating with Asia, Europe and North America within the day, with documents delivered by email or translation platforms.
When accuracy truly matters, clients keep coming back.
"Dao's skill and professionalism exceeded my expectations. High-quality translations, always on time."
"Fast and accurate work, kept the original formatting, delivered on time and very easy to work with."
"Quick to respond, proactive and very professional. Finished the project two days early. Highly recommended!"
Why medical clients choose me
A clinical background
It's not only about language. I also understand anatomy, pharmacology and clinical conventions, so I translate the meaning, not word for word.
Two-layer review
Every translation is translated then independently reviewed, with each unit and dose reconciled before delivery.
Tight confidentiality
NDA by default, no public machine translation, and deletion after delivery if you ask.
Fast response
Quotes within 10 minutes, 4,000 words/day throughput, and 24-hour rush support.
Send your document, get a transparent quote within 10 minutes.
Pricing by document type and complexity, negotiable for high-volume projects.
Rates in USD/word, including terminology check and quality assurance. Interpreting and DTP are quoted hourly.
- Terminology check & QA on every file
- Revisions until you are satisfied
- Delivery in your original format
- NDA signed before any document
Get a free quote
⚡ Usually replies within 10 minutesWhat medical clients ask most
Yes. Every project starts with an NDA. Content never passes through public machine-translation tools, and is deleted after delivery if you ask. Having handled over 1 million words for U.S. health agencies, I'm familiar with health-data confidentiality requirements.
Yes. Certified or notarized translations (at $0.08–0.12/word), with consular legalization guidance when you need to file with authorities at home or abroad.
About 4,000 words/day, including terminology review and quality checks. Every quote comes with a specific deadline; documents of a few thousand words are usually done within a few working days.
Rush support is available with a 25–50% surcharge. Even when it's urgent, I keep the terminology review and figure checks, only shortening the timeline, never dropping quality controls.
Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, XLIFF and most common formats. I use Trados, memoQ and Smartcat to keep terminology consistent and preserve the original layout, including documents needing DTP.
A single wrong unit or frequency can lead to a dosing error. Machine translation doesn't understand clinical context and takes no responsibility. I'm a native translator with a real medical background, plus a review process so you can rest easy.
Medical translation is converting medical documents, such as patient charts, clinical-trial files, package inserts or pharmaceutical material, into another language. It demands high accuracy of terminology, units and dosage, because an error can have clinical consequences.
Specialized medical material: $0.06–0.09/word. Certified translation: $0.08–0.12/word. General content: $0.04–0.06/word. Rush jobs under 24 hours add a 25–50% surcharge. All rates are negotiable for high-volume projects.
English to Vietnamese (my deepest specialty), Chinese to Vietnamese, French to Vietnamese and Vietnamese to English. Vietnamese is my mother tongue; my English is IELTS 7.0, my Chinese HSK 5.
Yes. I handle handwritten or scanned charts and prescriptions; if the writing is too hard to read, I'll check with you to confirm before translating, to avoid errors.
Payment via Upwork, bank transfer or PayPal. The quote already includes revision rounds until you're satisfied with the translation.
Common medical-translation terms
- ICF (Informed Consent Form)
- A document explaining a clinical trial so a patient can consent to taking part.
- IFU / PIL
- Instructions for Use for healthcare staff (IFU) and the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL).
- CRF
- Case Report Form: the data-collection sheet for each subject in a clinical trial.
- SmPC
- Summary of Product Characteristics for a medicine, used in registration dossiers.
- mg ≠ mcg
- Milligrams and micrograms differ by 1,000×, one of the most dangerous errors in dose translation.
- QD / BID / QID
- Dosing-frequency abbreviations: once, twice and four times a day.
- CAT tools
- Computer-assisted translation software (Trados, memoQ) using translation memory and glossaries to ensure consistency.
- LQA
- Linguistic Quality Assurance: reviewing a translation against a standardized error scorecard.
Send me your toughest medical document.
The difference between a translation that's "good enough" and one that's accurate to the unit. Reply within 10 minutes.
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