Translating an imaging report isn’t translating text — it’s translating a clinical decision
A chest CT report, a brain MRI or an oncology PET-CT are not ordinary documents. Every sentence is a condensed clinical decision: a 3 mm finding can change a diagnosis, a BI-RADS 4 versus 5 classification can delay or trigger surgery, a reference to “Lung-RADS 4A” has immediate implications for the radiologist receiving the document on the other side of the border.
When a Portuguese family wants a second opinion at a German hospital, when a British patient treated in the Algarve returns to the NHS, or when a Portuguese imaging clinic partners with a US centre in teleradiology — the report must be made available in an equally precise translated version.
For 40 years we have been translating for the healthcare sector. This guide shows you what distinguishes professional imaging translation from generic technical translation.
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We accept CT, MRI, PET-CT, mammography, ultrasound and nuclear medicine reports. Free quote in under 4 working hours.
Request a quote Urgent WhatsAppThe imaging reports we translate most often
- Computed tomography (CT) — chest, abdomen, head, spine. HU (Hounsfield Units) terminology, lesion descriptions, enhancement patterns after contrast.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) — brain, spine, joints, abdomen. Sequences (T1, T2, FLAIR, DWI), signal patterns, precise anatomical descriptions.
- PET-CT and PET-MRI — oncological staging, treatment response assessment. SUV values, Deauville and PERCIST classifications.
- Mammography, breast ultrasound and breast MRI — BI-RADS 0 to 6 classification, laterality, morphological descriptors.
- Lung cancer screening CT — Lung-RADS 1 to 4X classification for lung cancer screening.
- Abdominal, gynaecological and vascular ultrasound — Doppler terminology, resistance indices, morphological descriptions.
- Bone densitometry (DXA) — T-score, Z-score, WHO classification for osteoporosis.
- Nuclear medicine — bone, cardiac, thyroid scintigraphy. Uptake patterns, semi-quantification.
Why a generalist translator fails in imaging
Three pitfalls distinguish professional imaging translation from generic technical translation:
Standardised classification systems
BI-RADS, Lung-RADS, PI-RADS, LI-RADS, TI-RADS, O-RADS — ACR acronyms used worldwide. They don’t translate. But the translator must know when they’re implicitly present.
Precise anatomy in Latin/English
“Lobe of azygos”, “cisterna ambiens”, “tentorium cerebelli” — anatomical terminology where a one-word error completely changes the location described.
Numeric accuracy and units
Hounsfield Units (CT), SUVmax (PET), values in mm vs cm, Doppler resistance indices. Swapping a comma for a decimal point can multiply a value by 10.
Turnaround and workflow for imaging centres
We work with imaging clinics on a partnership model — standardised terminology, guaranteed deadlines, volume rates. These are the delivery times we consistently meet:
| Report type | Standard turnaround | Rush (oncology / repatriation) |
|---|---|---|
| CT or MRI report (1-2 pages) | 24-48h | 4-8h |
| Complete oncological PET-CT study | 2-3 working days | 24h |
| Set of exams (screening, follow-up) | 3-5 working days | 48h |
| Multidisciplinary report (tumour board) | 5-7 working days | 2-3 working days |
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Talk to our teamLanguages most requested for imaging reports
Portuguese imaging centres now receive translation requests for all major European and Asian languages. These are the most frequent pairs in our work:
- PT → EN — UK/USA patients, international second opinions, teleradiology
- PT → DE — German, Austrian and Swiss patients (with DKV, Allianz, AOK insurance)
- PT → FR — French and francophone patients (Belgium, Switzerland)
- PT → NL — Dutch patients (strong presence in the Algarve)
- PT → ES — cross-border partnerships, particularly in oncology
- EN → PT — international centre reports for Portuguese clinicians
- PT → AR, ZH, RU, JA — Middle Eastern, Chinese, Russian and Japanese patients
Confidentiality and GDPR applied to imaging
Imaging reports contain health data — a special category of personal data under GDPR. We’ve worked at this sensitivity level from day one:
Specific confidentiality agreement signed by every translator assigned to the project.
sFTP, secure portal, or dedicated VPN connections for enterprise clients.
We remove name, tax ID, date of birth — keeping only the internal study ID.
All files deleted 30 days after final delivery.
FAQ — imaging
Do you keep BI-RADS, Lung-RADS, etc. acronyms?
Yes. ACR classification systems are international and should not be translated. We keep the original acronyms and, where useful, add a translator’s explanatory note in parentheses.
Can you work directly with DICOM files or only with PDF reports?
We work with the report text (PDF, Word, or exported from the RIS). We don’t translate captions inside DICOM images because they rarely need clinical translation — the report always accompanies them. For specific cases with image captions, we do prior analysis.
Is the translator a radiologist?
Not always — we use medical specialist translators, many with academic training in health sciences, validated by a second reviewer with radiological terminology experience. For critical projects from reference centres, we can involve consultancy from radiologists who are native speakers of the target language.
How do you handle updates to classifications (e.g. new BI-RADS version)?
We track ACR updates and maintain dedicated terminology memories per client. When there’s a classification revision (BI-RADS 5th edition, Lung-RADS v2022, etc.), we update the memories and notify active clients.
Do you provide sworn translations to submit to international insurers?
Yes. For the UK, USA, Australia and Canada we issue CIOL certification accepted by Bupa, Cigna, Allianz Care, Aetna International and other insurers. For the EU we use Portuguese notary certification with Hague apostille if required.
Do you handle urgent oncology reports on weekends?
Yes. For international tumour boards and urgent second opinions in oncology we have weekend availability. Initial response within 1-2 hours.
Trust the translation of your next imaging report to those who speak the language of the image
40 years translating for healthcare · Members of the Chartered Institute of Linguists · Free quote in <4 working hours
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