Choosing a medical device translation partner starts with understanding how your content will be used. An instruction for use, a product label, and a marketing brochure may belong to the same device, but they need different review priorities. Before comparing prices, ask each provider to explain how it will handle your terminology, safety information, approvals, and future revisions.
The following questions can help procurement, quality, and regulatory teams compare proposals and agree on a practical scope of work.
1. Define the project before you request a quote
Give prospective providers a brief that identifies the device, intended users, destination markets, language variants, and types of content involved. Include the approved source files and explain which materials must remain consistent, such as packaging, labels, instructions for use (IFUs), and software text.
Ask your regulatory team to confirm the applicable language and submission requirements. Record who will approve terminology, answer technical questions, and authorize the translated files for release. This gives each provider the same starting point and makes proposals easier to compare.
2. Look for experience with your device and audience
“Medical translation experience” is a broad description. Ask how the provider selects linguists and reviewers for your device type, its technical vocabulary, and the people who will read the material. Content for a clinician may require a different approach from instructions intended for a patient or caregiver.
Request relevant examples or an anonymized account of a comparable project. Useful evidence includes the content types handled, the reviewers’ qualifications, and how technical questions were resolved. Also establish whether your subject matter experts can review terminology before translation begins.
3. Check what the certification covers
ISO 13485 sets requirements for a quality management system for medical devices and related services. When a provider cites certification, request its current certificate and check the named organization, covered activities, certification body, and validity dates.
Use that information as part of supplier evaluation. A quality management certificate is not an approval of your device or a guarantee that every translated file meets every market’s requirements. Ask the provider to show how its documented procedures apply to your project, and have your quality team assess whether the scope fits your supplier requirements.
4. Ask for the review workflow in writing
A proposal should identify the checks included, who performs them, and how findings are resolved. Ask about:
- Terminology control: How approved terms, product names, and abbreviations will be established and reused.
- Linguistic review: How meaning, omissions, consistency, and suitability for the intended audience will be checked.
- Technical checks: How reviewers will handle warnings, units, numbers, symbols, and references to device components.
- Layout review: How the final formatted files will be checked for truncated text, misplaced labels, and changes introduced during production.
- Issue resolution: How questions and corrections will be recorded, approved, and verified before delivery.
For example, if a warning changes in the source IFU, the team should be able to identify the affected language versions, route the change for review, and confirm that the approved wording reached the final files. Our guide to checking translation accuracy offers additional questions for evaluating the review process.
5. Plan for updates and secure collaboration
Discuss how the provider will connect source and translated versions, manage your glossary and translation memory, and distinguish released content from work in progress. Agree on ownership and access to these resources, including what you receive if you change suppliers.
Ask how files are transferred, who can access them, whether subcontractors are involved, and what retention arrangements apply. If machine translation or other AI tools are proposed, agree on the permitted tools, data handling, and human review before the work starts.
6. Compare the full scope, not just the word rate
Use the same brief to compare what each quote includes. Check whether review, formatting, project management, terminology preparation, and correction rounds are included or priced separately. Clarify turnaround assumptions, your team’s review time, and how urgent changes will be handled.
A representative pilot can help you evaluate the working relationship before a larger rollout. Agree on evaluation criteria in advance, then assess the quality of the questions, the review report, the final files, and the response to feedback.
What to request before choosing a partner
- A proposed workflow with named review responsibilities.
- Evidence of relevant device and language experience.
- Current certificates and their scope, where applicable.
- A sample issue log and a list of final deliverables.
- A clear approach to revisions, file security, pricing, and deadlines.
Discuss your next medical device translation project with Responsive Translation. Our medical device translation services support multilingual content such as labels, packaging, and IFUs. Learn about our ISO-certified quality management approach, or contact us to discuss your languages, review needs, and delivery requirements.