Life sciences and medical content is produced for many different readers, from researchers and regulatory teams to healthcare professionals, patients and product users. Each audience needs accurate terminology, clear language and a workflow suited to the way the translation will be used.

Asian Absolute supports pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, clinical research organisations, medical-device manufacturers, healthcare providers and other organisations working with specialist medical content.

Our particular strength lies in Asian languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese. We also support a wider range of global language combinations, so the service can be shaped around the real audience and purpose of the material rather than assuming that every project is an Asian market launch.

Before confirming the approach, we review the subject matter, intended audience, target languages, format, delivery requirements and any terminology or review instructions supplied for the project.

The document set varies by organisation and stage of work. Projects can include:

Clinical research

• clinical trial protocols
• investigator brochures
• patient information sheets
• informed consent forms
• clinical study reports
• Clinical Outcome Assessments, including PRO, ClinRO and ObsRO measures
• quality-of-life questionnaires and other patient-reported materials
• scientific publications and technical articles

Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology

• summaries of product characteristics
• patient information leaflets
• package inserts
• product information and labelling
• marketing authorisation documentation
• serious adverse event documentation
• laboratory reports
• research and development content
• training materials

Medical devices and medical technology

• instructions for use
• user and installation guides
• product labelling
• safety and training content
• medical software interfaces
• supporting digital documentation

Healthcare

• patient records
• discharge summaries
• medical reports
• patient information
• professional and public-facing healthcare materials
• training and teaching content

If your material does not fit one of these groups, send us a sample or describe the intended use. We will confirm whether we can assemble the appropriate language and subject expertise.

Medical terminology can change across disciplines, audiences and regions. A linguist experienced in pharmaceutical product information may not be the right choice for a clinical outcome measure or a medical-device interface.

Asian Absolute allocates specialists according to the subject area and purpose of the project. For life-sciences and medical work, the selected linguists have relevant professional experience, subject-matter qualifications, or both. Translators work into their native language, with regional knowledge considered where local terminology and usage are important.

The project brief should identify:

• the content type and therapeutic or technical area
• who will read or use the translation
• the target country, region or language variant
• whether approved terminology already exists
• the required review and approval stages
• file, layout and delivery requirements

Not every medical document needs the same production process. A scientific article, an internal training course, an informed consent form and a device instruction manual have different audiences and review requirements.

Depending on the agreed scope, the workflow can include:

• terminology research and glossary preparation
• use of approved terminology and translation memories
• translation by a relevant subject specialist
• editing, revision and proofreading
• back translation
• linguistic validation
• cognitive debriefing
• multilingual typesetting
• final linguistic and format checks

Asian Absolute states that its translation services are accredited to ISO 9001 and ISO 17100. These standards support quality-anagement and translation-service processes. The precise workflow, acceptance criteria and any regulatory review requirements should still be defined for the individual project.

Clinical Outcome Assessments, quality-of-life questionnaires and other patient-facing instruments may need a more structured validation process than standard translation and review.

Where required by the project, Asian Absolute can include back translation, linguistic validation and cognitive debriefing in the agreed workflow. The appropriate stages depend on the instrument, study protocol, target population and the requirements set by the sponsor, instrument owner or relevant adviser.

These language processes support the preparation and evaluation of multilingual content. They should not be presented as an automatic guarantee of acceptance by a regulator or professional body.

Frequently Asked Questions