Focus. You need to have the ability to focus on assignments. You should not be distracted while you are doing your work. Medical translations are sensitive jobs that require a high degree of accuracy. One wrong word or term can cause a lot of damage and put lives at risk.
Sensitivity to cultural differences. Other cultures have different expectations and levels of understanding. You should know which words and terms to use in different languages that will make the information you translate very clear, simple and easy to understand.
Good interpersonal skills. If you are self-employed, you should be able to build good relationships with the people and companies that employ your services in order to retain clients, attract new business and widen your network.
Excellent reading and writing skills. You must be able to read your translations in the language you are using. Likewise, you must be able to write effectively and clearly in the target language.
Medical translation is an exciting but very demanding job. All of your skills, talents and knowledge should be highly compatible. Many of the documents you will be translating have been written by experts and are meant to be read by experts, so you must be a good subject matter expert.
While you may have experience working in the healthcare industry, most of the skills required for medical translation will be developed through self-study. Otherwise, you can take a medical translation course and earn a certificate.