Common Medical Device Translation Questions
If you want to sell your medical devices outside the country in which they were developed, or if you need to subject your device to clinical trials, you will need to translate medical device materials accurately. This could be to ensure users know how to properly work with your product, to expand your brand awareness in a foreign market, or to ensure your device can be approved by a foreign regulatory department.
From entering an international market to conducting feasibility or pivotal studies abroad, translation will be a key part of your strategy.
What are the Components of a Medical Device Translation Project?
There are three components that can make up a medical device translation project: translation, localization, and review.
- Translation: The first, and most important factor, translation is performed for any texts relating to your device such as data sheets, marketing collateral, user manuals, and labels, or those relating to your clinical trial including informed consent forms, case report forms, and adverse event forms.
- Localization: Depending on the aims of your project, it may also require medical device localization services to adapt translations, graphics, and other elements to your target foreign markets and to comply with international regulations. Software localization may also be required depending on your device – you will want to ensure that all user interfaces are formatted in a way that is intuitive to the doctors and patients who will be working with your device.
- Review: All translations will need to be reviewed by a professional editor. This is generally included in the medical device translation process offered by language service providers. Some clients prefer to have their own in-house team review translations to ensure the language is in line with the company brand. Depending on the extent of the translation and localization done, usability testing may need to be performed to ensure that potential users can easily work with the device. You may also require linguistic validation for clinical documents such as patient surveys. This process ensures that the results you glean from your source documents and translated texts are consistent and accurate to your desired outcomes.
What are its Benefits?
While professional human translation is considered the most accurate form, there are those who still opt for untrained native speakers or machine options to translate medical device materials.
However, to ensure a completely clear and accurate medical device translation you should hire a professional translation agency with access to trained and experience linguists.
Opting for riskier alternatives could be dangerous for your potential users, as well as costly if you end up needing to re-translate materials or repair brand image.
The advantages of professional translation are remarkable. Working with a reputable language service provider ensures your project is handled by translators experienced in:
- Producing high-quality translations, with consistent style and terminology and culturally adapted to the target audience,
- Providing accurate translation for both idiomatic and technical language needed for legal and regulatory requirements,
- Working in a timely and efficient manner, with a reliable delivery schedule.
How can Language Connections Help with Medical Device Translation?
Language Connections has been providing professional translation services in the Life Sciences for over 20 years. In that time we have built a team of professional medical and technical translators with industry specific knowledge who provide accurate, culturally-sensitive translations and localization of regulatory content, software and related documents to support your medical devices in foreign markets.
Learn More About Our Medical Device Translation Services
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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