In the Life Sciences, we all know that consistency matters. This is one of the many reasons Language Service Providers (LSPs) use translation memory (TM) technology during the translation and localization of life sciences content. Translation memories (TMs), for those not familiar with the term, are linguistic databases that store previously translated sentences, paragraphs, and text segments for reference and reuse. Their use, in and of itself, does not always guarantee optimal outcomes. They must also be well managed and kept “clean”.
TM Benefits and Pitfalls
Translation memory tools, also known as “CAT” (computer-assisted translation) tools – not to be confused with machine translation (MT), where generative AI produces the translation – allow localization project managers and translators to load documents into the system and connect them to one or multiple TMs as well as terminology databases. This is done both to increase efficiency and to help with consistency across documents and versions. However, to avoid mixing tone, style, form of address, register, and terminology, stakeholders must take care not to randomly store segments in any database or to pull from the wrong database.
How Contaminated Translation Memories Create Compliance Risks
The risks of muddying patient-facing, regulatory, and marketing language are not negligible. Using patient-facing language in a regulatory document could delay approvals. Inconsistent terminology in patient-facing communication (e.g., mixing “pyrexia” and “fever”) is not only a potential source of confusion and miscommunication but also a risk of non-compliance. In a similar vein, using marketing language when promotional content is disallowed could have far-reaching consequences, including delays in approval, damage to brand reputation, and even liability claims.
Hidden Cultural and Linguistic Challenges
When translating and localizing (adapting) clinical content from English into other languages, a typical scenario is that languages such as French and German use an informal form of address for children and adolescents, but address adults and authorities in a formal manner. This can cause major issues when TMs are not kept separate, and especially in pediatric clinical trials where some communication may be addressed to children and adolescents (e.g., activity books, assent forms), while others may address adult caregivers and guardians.
While this is difficult to replicate in English, it is akin to addressing a scientific authority as “Hey, John, what’s up?” versus “Dear Professor Smith, I hope this message finds you well.” Worse, in such a scenario, you may have one sentence using the formal and the other using the informal form of address. When every sentence carries this weight, it is easy to see how this kind of mishmash can have consequences that go beyond the somewhat comical surface-level effect. Beyond confusion and disengagement, such a result can actively and quickly damage hard-won patient trust and even lead to regulatory complications.
In a nutshell, just as inconsistent or corrupted clinical trial data can compromise a study’s integrity, contaminated TMs pose serious risks, including non-compliance.
Characteristics and Hallmarks of a Well-Maintained TM
Clean, well-maintained TMs, on the other hand, support compliance throughout the content development phase and across all channels. So what are the hallmarks of these assets? Project managers and specialized linguists know that there are certain, very specific features to keep in mind.
A well-maintained, clean TM is:
- Clearly separated by audience, purpose, client, product, and therapeutic area
- Routinely quality-checked, and
- Properly tagged
This result is not achieved randomly. It requires careful planning, strong processes, and close collaboration among expert localization and translation professionals who are keenly aware of potential pitfalls.
A Quality-First Approach
At Vistatec, we ensure clean translation memory and terminology databases by maintaining not just one, but multiple clean sub-TMs for each client. As needed, these may be split by relevant departments (e.g., marketing vs. regulatory), by target audience (e.g., technical vs. patient-facing content), or even by product line or by study.
The Nitty-Gritty
This is more involved than it appears on the surface and requires careful, deliberate planning and setup. To create consistency across versions, we maintain not only separate TMs, but also databases, glossaries, and style guides that control terminology for a specific register or target group.
Often, we strategically choose to make use of primary as well as secondary TMs – sometimes with read-only access – so that linguists can reference TMs for specific products or trials that correlate or intersect with the project they are working on. In addition, we may add controls in the form of TM “penalties”, e.g., by having linguists review and edit legacy segments to bring them up to current standard/terminology requirements. Alternatively, we will sometimes “lock” matches from previous versions to prevent editing and ensure they are automatically accepted into the current version of a document or series of documents. For a given project, we may selectively grant translators, editors, and proofreaders access to search through the entire TM set for a client where needed.
This is already quite technical, but our approach at Vistatec goes further still. Project managers always ensure that projects are set up under the correct sub-TM and can opt to penalize the use of other TMs. In addition, we make effective use of TM metadata (product or trial name, marketing vs regulatory content, etc.) to build TMs that are set up by product line.
Putting It Into Practice
Knowing how to properly set up these assets is vital to successful localization in the life sciences. It’s never too late (or too early) to check whether your TM and terminology assets are clean and ready to go. Contact one of our experts today.