Translating Japanese Medical Records for Your Doctor at Home
If you were treated in Japan and your doctor at home needs to know what happened, an English translation of your Japanese medical records, such as a doctor’s letter, test results, a discharge summary or a list of medicines, lets them pick up where the Japanese doctors left off. Ask your Japanese clinic for copies first, then have them translated by a person who handles medical terms carefully. A translation is for understanding, not a medical opinion, and if an insurer or authority asks for a certified translation you will need a specialist provider; we don’t offer certified or sworn translation.
Common documents
| Document | Japanese | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Referral letter | 紹介状 / 診療情報提供書 | A letter from one doctor to another summarising your case. |
| Medical certificate | 診断書 | A doctor’s statement of diagnosis, often for work or insurance. |
| Test results | 検査結果 | Blood tests, scans and other results. |
| Discharge summary | 退院サマリー | A summary of a hospital stay and treatment. |
| Medication notebook | お薬手帳 | A record of the medicines pharmacies have given you. |
| Itemised receipt | 診療明細書 / 領収書 | What you were charged for, often needed for insurance claims. |
Getting copies from a Japanese clinic
- 診療記録のコピーをいただけますか。 Could I have a copy of my medical records?
- 英語の診断書は書いていただけますか。 Could you write a medical certificate in English?
- 紹介状をお願いできますか。 Could you write a referral letter?
Some hospitals can issue an English certificate for a fee; many can’t. Clinics may charge for copies and take a few days. Ask before you leave Japan if you can. For the visit itself, see Japanese at the doctor.
Why these documents are hard to translate
- Medical terms and abbreviations, sometimes mixing Japanese, English and German.
- Handwriting on older or smaller clinics’ forms.
- Medicine names, which are often Japanese brand names that need the generic name for a doctor abroad.
- Japanese dates in era years, such as 令和, which must be converted correctly.
- Units and reference ranges that may differ from your home country.
Machine translation can give you a rough idea, but it often mistranslates abbreviations and medicine names. For anything your doctor will rely on, have a person check it. See machine translation for Japanese.
Insurance claims
Travel and international health insurers often ask for receipts and a medical certificate. Some accept a standard translation, some ask for their own form to be filled in by the Japanese doctor, and some require a certified translation. Ask your insurer exactly what they need before ordering.
Privacy
Medical records are among the most sensitive documents you have. We keep everything confidential, use it only for your translation, and you can redact anything we don’t need, such as ID numbers.
How Hanabuddies can help
We translate Japanese medical documents into English for your own reference and for your doctors at home, keeping the layout, converting dates and flagging anything unclear in the original. We are not doctors and don’t interpret results; please ask your doctor about what they mean. If you’re still in Japan, we can also interpret at your appointments, in person or online, where the clinic agrees; see an interpreter for medical appointments. In an emergency in Japan, call 119.