For many companies in the respiratory device industry, international translation may be an afterthought, secondary to product research and development. However, many people around the world lack health literacy, meaning they don’t understand basic health information.
One barrier to health literacy is not having access to documents accurately translated into your own language. That’s why selecting an international language translator with subject matter expertise for your respiratory device translation is of vital importance.
Translation for documents related to respiratory devices can be time-consuming and complex. Therefore, it’s important to start planning for the translation process long before the final stages of your product launch.
Your product may be exceptional, but if the instructions and other documents related to the product aren’t translated appropriately, there’s a serious liability risk for consumers and clinicians alike, as misunderstanding can lead to improper use of the respiratory device, potentially causing serious harm or even death.
Let’s look at why accurate translation is so important when it comes to device documentation.
An International Language Translator Must Ensure Clear Translations for Patients and Clinicians Alike
Accurate, cost-effective translation for respiratory devices is essential to ensure proper use, regardless of where these products are sold around the world. A number of documents related to these devices may require translation, including:
- Instructions for use
- Patient information pamphlets
- Clinical and regulatory documents
- Product labeling and packaging
- Marketing collateral
- Websites, user displays, and software interfaces
Oxygen concentrators, for example, are typically used at home for oxygen therapy and include instructions for use (or IFUs) that must be translated in a way that allows for easy understanding by patients and family caregivers.
Devices such as respiratory ventilators and respiratory monitoring devices may include LCD and other display interfaces. All of this requires translation by an international language company that understands specialized medical terminology.
A translator without specialized medical knowledge may not fully understand the content in English. This would make it impossible to accurately translate, leading to translated documents that lack the important technical information required for correct use. This can create confusion for the clinician and patient alike, risking device misuse, physical injury, and potential legal issues for your company.
Why an International Language Translator Must Also Be a Subject Matter Expert
Effective, accurate respiratory device translation goes beyond translating text word-for-word. That’s because doing so can alter the meaning of the specialized and technical medical information, making it unclear and inaccurate in the target language.
The medical field contains highly specialized terms, so simply knowing what the “correct” word is in the translated language won’t work if the content cannot be properly understood by the target audience.
Respiratory device instructions can sometimes be difficult to understand. That’s why translators working in the medical device industry must acknowledge two key things when translating. First, they must translate the text at hand, and second, they must make certain that the translated content still communicates an accurate message to the target audience, exactly as you intended.
This is why it’s vitally important that the person translating not only understands the language being translated, but also has subject matter expertise. At ILS, all of our translators are also subject matter experts.
With more than 35 years providing translation services for the medical device industry, our translation team has expertise in all areas of this highly technical translation specialty.
