Healthcare and NHS translation and interpreting services

Clear communication matters in healthcare. Patients need to understand information about their health, treatment and care. Healthcare professionals need to share accurate information. And organisations need to make their services accessible to people who speak different languages.

At Atlas Translations, we’ve been helping organisations overcome language barriers since 1991.

We provide specialist healthcare translation and interpreting services for NHS organisations, hospitals, clinics, healthcare providers, public health teams and organisations working across the health and care sector.

From patient information leaflets and medical documents to multilingual health campaigns, training materials and interpreting appointments, we understand that healthcare communication involves more than simply translating words.

It involves people.

Our experienced professional linguists, dedicated project managers and established quality assurance processes help healthcare organisations communicate effectively with the people who rely on their services.

Need healthcare translation or interpreting support? Contact team@atlas-translations.co.uk for advice and a detailed quotation.

Healthcare translation services

Healthcare organisations produce a wide variety of documents for patients, staff, families and the wider public. Some contain complex medical terminology. Others need to explain difficult subjects in clear, accessible language. The right translation approach depends on who will read the information and how it will be used.

We select professional translators with relevant medical and healthcare expertise, taking account of the document, intended audience and language requirements.

Documents we can help translate include:

• Patient information leaflets
• Hospital letters and patient correspondence
• Medical reports and clinical documentation
• Consent forms
• Appointment information and instructions
• Discharge information and aftercare guidance
• Treatment information and patient education materials
• Public health information and awareness campaigns
• Healthcare policies and procedures
• Staff training materials
• Safeguarding information
• Research questionnaires and surveys
• Healthcare websites and digital content
• Community health information
• Accessible patient communications

We can support individual documents or ongoing multilingual translation requirements.

Translation services for NHS organisations

Atlas has experience supporting NHS organisations with specialist translation and language services. We understand that NHS teams work with varied audiences, demanding timescales and the need to make healthcare information accessible.

Our work can support:

• NHS trusts and hospitals
• Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)
• Community healthcare services
• Public health teams
• Mental health services
• Primary care providers
• Specialist healthcare departments
• NHS research and training teams

We help translate information for patients, staff and the wider community, selecting linguists with the appropriate healthcare and language expertise.

Our project managers can also coordinate multilingual projects involving different document formats, review requirements and delivery deadlines.

Patient information and accessible healthcare communication

Patient-facing information needs to be accurate, understandable and appropriate for the people reading it. Medical terminology that is familiar to a healthcare professional may be confusing or intimidating to someone receiving treatment. A direct translation may preserve the original words without communicating the intended meaning clearly.

Our translators consider:

• The intended audience
• Medical terminology and plain language
• Cultural and linguistic differences
• Readability and clarity
• Consistency across related materials
• Appropriate tone and sensitivity
• The purpose of the information
• Any client-specific accessibility requirements

We can work with healthcare organisations to adapt language appropriately while preserving the meaning of the source material. And when something is unclear, we ask.

We believe that a question raised during translation is far better than a misunderstanding discovered when the information reaches a patient.

Healthcare interpreting services

Written information is only one part of healthcare communication. Patients and healthcare professionals may also need interpreting support during appointments, consultations, meetings and other interactions.

Atlas provides professional interpreting services for healthcare organisations, including:

Telephone interpreting

Our on-demand telephone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year. It provides access to professional interpreters by telephone, with connections typically made in around 60 seconds.

There is no setup fee, and calls are charged according to the actual time used.

Video remote interpreting

We provide pre-booked video interpreting for appointments, consultations and meetings where remote face-to-face communication is helpful.

Face-to-face interpreting

We can arrange professional interpreters to attend healthcare appointments, meetings and other events in person, subject to location and availability.

Consecutive and whispered interpreting

For suitable meetings, consultations and smaller events, we can advise on the most appropriate interpreting format. Our team can discuss the setting, languages, subject matter and practical requirements to help identify the right service.

Public health and community healthcare translation

Public health communication often needs to reach people from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Whether an organisation is providing information about vaccination, screening, prevention, mental health or community services, the message must be clear and accessible.

We support the translation of:

• Public health campaigns
• Vaccination information
• Screening programme materials
• Health awareness leaflets
• Community health resources
• Mental health information
• Preventative healthcare guidance
• Websites and digital campaigns
• Posters and outreach materials
• Training and educational resources

Our translators consider local language conventions, cultural context and the intended audience. We can also assist with multilingual formatting and typesetting, helping organisations prepare materials for print and digital distribution.

Healthcare training, subtitling and voiceover

Healthcare organisations increasingly use video, e-learning and digital resources to train staff and communicate with patients.

We provide language services for healthcare training and educational content, including:

• Training video translation
• Multilingual subtitling
• Voiceover
• Transcription
• E-learning localisation
• Staff induction materials
• Patient education videos
• Presentations and supporting documentation

Our team can coordinate the different linguistic elements of a project, helping ensure that terminology and messaging remain consistent across written, spoken and audiovisual materials.

Healthcare research and clinical documentation

Healthcare organisations and university research departments frequently work together on clinical and public health research. Atlas has extensive experience supporting university research teams and specialist scientific projects.

We can translate:

• Research questionnaires
• Participant information sheets
• Informed consent forms
• Research reports
• Clinical documentation
• Study recruitment materials
• Patient surveys
• Supporting research communications

We also provide specialist translation and linguistic validation support for clinical research.

For more information, visit our dedicated clinical trials and linguistic validation page.

Confidentiality and sensitive healthcare information

Healthcare documents may contain highly sensitive personal and medical information. We understand the importance of confidentiality, secure handling and appropriate access to project materials.

Atlas Translations uses established project management and information security procedures, and our professional linguists are subject to confidentiality obligations.

We are certified to:

• ISO 17100:2015 – Translation services requirements
• ISO 9001:2015 – Quality management systems

We also hold Cyber Essentials certification.

We can discuss additional confidentiality requirements, non-disclosure agreements and project-specific security arrangements before work begins. Our team understands that confidentiality is not an optional extra when dealing with healthcare information.

Why human expertise matters in healthcare

Healthcare communication is often sensitive, personal and potentially life-changing. A patient may be reading information about a diagnosis, preparing for treatment or trying to understand instructions following an appointment. The wording needs to be accurate, but it also needs to make sense to the person receiving it.

Our approach combines specialist human linguists with careful project management and appropriate quality assurance. We consider not only what the source text says, but also who needs to understand it and why.

We do not authorise translators to use AI tools for client translations unless this has been expressly agreed. Professional judgement, specialist terminology knowledge and cultural understanding remain central to our work.

More than translation

Healthcare organisations often need several different language services.

Alongside translation, Atlas provides:

• Telephone interpreting
• Video remote interpreting
• Face-to-face interpreting
• Editing and proofreading
• Subtitling and voiceover
• Transcription
• Multilingual desktop publishing
• Website and digital content localisation
• Terminology management
• Linguistic consultancy

Our project managers can help coordinate these services and provide advice on the most appropriate approach.

Why choose Atlas Translations?

Experience since 1991

More than three decades of providing professional language services to organisations with specialist and sensitive communication requirements.

Healthcare and medical expertise

We select professional linguists with appropriate subject knowledge for each project.

Translation and interpreting

We provide both written translation and spoken interpreting services, helping healthcare organisations manage different communication needs.

ISO-certified quality processes

Our established procedures support consistent project management and professional translation quality.

Dedicated project managers

Experienced people who coordinate projects, answer questions and help keep everything running smoothly.

Human-first approach

We believe in clear communication, professional judgement and asking questions when something needs clarification.

Practical, straightforward advice

We’ll help you identify the services you need and provide a clear quotation, without unnecessary complexity.