Collaborating for success: why MedTech client engagement is key to high-quality medical app translations

In the MedTech world, particularly when it comes to medical apps, terminology accuracy is crucial. Whether your app monitors sleep patterns, offers meditation guidance, or tracks vital health statistics, the way information is presented to users across different languages can significantly impact user experience and regulatory compliance. Achieving this requires more than just translating words—it demands a deep understanding of context, precise terminology, and a consistent style that resonates with the app’s audience. This is where close collaboration between MedTech clients and their translation providers becomes essential.

The importance of client collaboration in MedTech translations

Medical apps are unique. They must cater to various users—from healthcare professionals to patients and general consumers—all while adhering to strict regulatory standards and maintaining clarity in communication. The challenge lies in balancing these needs while ensuring that the user experience remains intuitive and seamless, regardless of the language.

At Novalins, we’ve seen first hand how the active involvement of our MedTech clients in their translation projects can make a significant difference. When clients engage with us from the start and throughout the translation process, we’re able to deliver better outcomes. This collaboration helps us understand the specifics of the product, the target audience, the tone, and the style, ensuring that the final translation is not only accurate but also aligned with the client’s goals.

Why client engagement matters

Here’s why client collaboration is key to a successful translation project for MedTech apps:

• Precision in terminology: Medical apps often use specialized terminology that must be translated with absolute precision. Without clear input from the client, there’s a risk of using incorrect or inappropriate terms that could confuse users or lead to misunderstandings.
• Contextual understanding: MedTech apps can range from clinical tools to consumer-facing wellness applications. The intended user experience and the app’s functionality are critical factors in determining the right tone and style for translations.
• Consistency across projects: MedTech companies often have multiple translation projects running simultaneously or over time. Consistency in tone, style, and terminology is vital to maintaining a cohesive user experience across all platforms.

Our approach at Novalins

At Novalins, we prioritize collaboration to ensure that every MedTech app translation meets the highest standards of quality and consistency. We have developed a comprehensive approach that focuses on clear communication, proactive planning, and constant refinement based on client feedback. Here are several solutions we offer to ensure the best results:

• Glossaries: We collaborate with clients to develop glossaries of the most frequently used terms, ideally validated by client reviewers before the project launches. This ensures the correct terminology is used consistently throughout the translation, which is critical for user engagement and regulatory compliance.

• Product presentation for contextual understanding: One of the most important steps in ensuring high-quality translations is understanding the context in which they will be used. To achieve this, we encourage clients to present their product to our translation team through demos, presentations, or detailed reference materials. This allows our linguists to gain a deep understanding of the app’s functionality, target audience, and user experience. With this context in mind, we can deliver translations that are not only accurate but also perfectly tailored to the app’s specific needs and the expectations of its users.

• Client-specific style guides: We develop tailored style guides for each client, outlining preferences in tone, terminology, and formatting. For example, this could include the use of formal or informal language in French or Portuguese. These guides are regularly updated to reflect any changes in client preferences or project requirements, ensuring that all translations stay aligned with the brand’s voice.

• Medical translator selection: We carefully select medical translators with expertise relevant to the project. We offer anonymized CVs of potential translators for client review and even provide test translations to ensure the selected linguists meet the desired service level. Once chosen, these translators work on all related projects, ensuring consistency across all translations.

• Pilot projects and milestones: We often recommend starting with a pilot project or a smaller section of the content to establish a stylistic baseline. This allows us to gather feedback and refine our approach before moving on to larger, more complex projects. Additional milestones can be set to deliver batches of translations for client review, allowing for further adjustments as needed.

• In-context reviews: Once translations are complete, we conduct in-context reviews where the translated text is tested within the actual app environment. This allows us to identify any functional or stylistic inconsistencies that might not be apparent in traditional review processes, ensuring that the final product is both accurate and user-friendly.

• Live client feedback integration: We offer a live feedback feature through our translation management system (TMS) that allows clients to provide immediate input on translations. This real-time feedback is automatically integrated into ongoing translations and is applied across all future occurrences of the same terms or phrases. This ensures that any necessary adjustments are consistently updated throughout the entire project, maintaining accuracy and alignment with the client’s preferences while significantly improving efficiency and reducing the need for multiple review cycles.

• Post-project feedback and updates: Our relationship with clients doesn’t end when the project is completed. We offer post-project reviews and remain available to incorporate any client feedback.

Conclusion

In the MedTech world, especially when it comes to medical apps, collaboration between clients and translation providers, especially before launching a project, is the key to success. By actively engaging in the translation process, MedTech clients can ensure that their app not only meets regulatory standards but also provides a seamless, user-friendly experience in every language. At Novalins, we believe in the power of partnership, and we work closely with our clients to ensure that every translation project is a success—accurate, consistent, and perfectly tailored to the product and its users.

Ready to start your next translation project? Let’s collaborate to ensure that your message is delivered with precision and clarity.