Medical documents are translated for three reasons: to continue treatment in another country, to support an insurance claim, and to submit records of treatment received abroad to institutions in Estonia. In every case what matters is who will read the document — a doctor needs precise terminology, an insurer needs dates and diagnoses, an institution needs a certified translation. Certification is usually required for whatever goes to an institution: the Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa), an insurer, a court. A translation for a treating physician is a standard translation for which the agency is responsible.
| Institution | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Estonian Health Insurance Fund (Tervisekassa) | Certified translation into Estonian. |
| Insurer | Depends on the policy; often a certified translation. |
| Clinic abroad | Usually a standard translation into English or the clinic's language. |
| PPA | Certificates in a residence permit case. Certified translation. |
| Court and forensic experts | Sworn translation. |
| Employer | Standard translation. |
A medical document is a particular case for a translator: handwriting, abbreviations and brand names of medicines, where the same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries. The rule is simple and we don’t break it: the translator does not diagnose and does not interpret.
In practice that means three things. An illegible passage is marked illegible rather than guessed. Abbreviations are expanded according to accepted practice, with the original form kept alongside where there is any doubt. Anything genuinely ambiguous we raise with you or ask you to check with the treating doctor — one sentence from a clinician is worth more than a guess in a document that will inform a treatment decision.
Units and reference ranges in test results are reproduced exactly as they appear. We do not convert them into another system even where the destination country uses different units: comparison is the doctor’s job, and they need the source data unchanged. For medicines we keep the active substance name, because brand names differ from country to country.
Under the GDPR, health data belongs to a special category of personal data and is handled more strictly than an ordinary document. Access to the files is limited to the translator and editor working on your order, and we sign a non-disclosure agreement on request.
If the documents concern a child or a relative, tell us at the outset on whose behalf you are ordering and to whom the finished translation should be released. That avoids a translation reaching someone who has no right to it.
Usually not: a doctor needs the content, not the certification. Certification is more often asked for by an insurer or an institution. Check with the clinic before ordering.
Yes, where it is legible. Illegible passages are marked in the translation, and we tell you which parts remain unresolved.
Usually not. An apostille may be needed for a document issued by a public authority — a forensic report or an official certificate, for example. We can arrange the apostille if it turns out to be required.
It depends on length, how much handwriting there is and the language pair. We give a deadline once we have seen the documents; before that, any number would be invented.
The translator is responsible for the translation matching the original. Decisions on diagnosis and treatment belong to the doctor; if the document contains a contradiction, we flag it rather than correct it.
Send us the scans and we will reply with the price, the deadline and the requirements of the institution you are filing with. The form takes a minute: contacts, languages and files.
Or write to info@tradux.ee
