Gold standard CPD at MedTranslate 2025

Practical takeaways
The day before the conference talks began, hands-on workshops were offered and I attended one delivered by a vet on medical imaging. I have seen x-ray and CT images before, but never so many of animals and I had never previously considered the challenge of getting a horse into a CT gantry! It was a great opportunity to clarify imaging terminology questions with an expert, and it brought technical context to the texts we translate. To close the workshop, ultrasound probes and an endoscope were made available for us to explore, which made the subject matter more tangible, turning abstract terminology into concrete experience. I have been translating texts about these types of exams for years, so the chance to see the equipment up close was unmissable and proved to be a fun start to the conference. Others chose instead workshops on patient-facing language or medical writing, and these were also well received.

Perspectives on tech and what it means for translators
The wide range of contributors meant that certain recurring themes were analysed through different lenses, and naturally one of these was AI. The keynote speeches on day 1 were given by industry representatives from MedTronic and the International Association for Machine Translation. Both charted the evolution of translation technology over the past decades and were enthusiastic about the role for AI. The optimistic take was that the industry will restructure, and other roles will open up for skilled human linguists. One memorable image was the human language expert operating the string puppet of AI — a reminder that human oversight has always and should always remain crucial even as tools develop. Roles such as prompt engineering and quality control might be appealing to newer entrants to the translation industry, especially digital natives willing to experiment.

Human skills still have premium value
As a counterpoint, several other speakers emphasised areas where human expertise is non‑negotiable and where machine output still falls short. These include linguistic validation, a multi-step translation framework for producing patient materials in clinical trials that are culturally appropriate and absolutely fit for purpose. The cognitive debriefing step in particular requires nuanced interviewing, cultural judgement and the ability to probe patient understanding in ways that machines cannot replicate. A presenter from a small, specialised translation company explained how medical device documentation continues to generate "relentless" demand as products move through regulatory pathways, and those texts often need interpretive decisions that hinge on clinical context and legal precision. Talks from two freelance translators on bias and creativity both reinforced the idea that thoughtful decision making and linguistic nuance are what set professional translators apart from automated outputs, especially when patient safety or regulatory compliance is at stake. An interesting discussion on just how informal the language in patient-facing materials should be was a clear demonstration that the spirit of critical thinking among translators is alive and well.

Lively debate on contentious topics
A buyer’s perspective sparked one of the liveliest debates and highlighted how everyday practices shape professional relationships and outcomes. The speaker from the animal health division of Boehringer Ingelheim had commissioned a translation from an agency, and followed up with a round of comments that had been met with no response. The freelancers and project managers in the audience spoke as one to inform her that she had been on the receiving end of poor practice. An engaging conversation followed, with multiple voices from freelancers and small translation agencies chiming in to suggest steps buyers could take to ensure that respectful channels of communication are used in future. Simple strategies such as always liaising with the same, named project manager, and selecting a preferred translator, who could then be involved in discussions to a greater extent, were proposed as useful solutions.

My community
Finally, ITI’s Medical and Pharmaceutical network was well represented at MedTranslate, accounting for almost one third of attendees. As the coordinator, I was given an opportunity to talk about our wonderful network and the benefits it offers. Along with the rest of the committee, I enjoyed meeting non-UK based members and getting a few new sign-ups too.. Those community moments underlined that conferences are as much about building links and sharing practice as they are about learning new techniques.