Frequently asked questions
Since 1973 thousands of companies and individuals have trusted DTS to get their message across in any language
Is your Translation Portal secure and password protected?
Do you have a documented process for data and records backup?
May I speak with your IT management directly to learn about your security standards and provisions, SOPs or other related questions?
Does each translator work in his or her native language?
Yes, each translator works in his or her native language. There are some occasional exceptions depending on the subject matter expertise and particular language direction required to properly carry out the translation.
Which criteria do you use in recruiting and selecting your translators?
All prospective DTS translators must have at minimum five (5) years of proven, full-time work experience as a translator with demonstrated experience working in a specific modality or subject matter.
We group and categorize translators according to their particular industry talents, training and education (i.e. some are better suited for handling patient recruitment documents or marketing advertisements than others; some are better suited for handling complex medical/scientific content than others). Roughly speaking, 1/3 of our translators hold MD or Ph.D. degree status (in one of the hard sciences), 1/3 have previous pharma/healthcare career experience and 1/3 are “pure” linguists who learned correct medical/clinical translation procedures by consulting the proper glossaries and resources. (This 1/3-1/3-1/3 pool is in general the pattern we observe of our vetted translators.)
Are your organization’s staff in-house as well as subcontractors and freelancers under confidentiality restrictions?
Yes, our in-house staff as well as subcontractors and freelancers work under confidentiality agreements.
Is there a written training program for new and current employees?
Are qualification and training records including CVs maintained for all employees?
Describe how your organization handles project delays.
Can translation requests be directly submitted to a dedicated Project Manager or Team within your organization?
Is there always someone available by phone? If employees are absent, are their emails read and forwarded?
What types of content do you translate?
- Patient Informed Consent Forms (ICFs) and Patient Information Leaflets (PILs)
- eConsent software and/or related software platforms
- Doctor Guides
- Drug Inserts
- Patient Guides
- Patient Questionnaires
- Regulatory Documents
- Product Labeling
- Manuals & Instructions
- Marketing Materials
- Package Leaflets
- Brand Management documents
- Product Approval Packets for Various Regulatory Agencies
- Patient Information & Brochures
- IFUs and DFUs
- Scientific Research Documentation
- Clinical Research and Medical Reports
- Regulatory Approval Dossiers
- Certificates of Conformance
- E-learning text
- Summary of Product Characteristics
- Clinical Trial Materials
- Clinical Protocols
- Frequently Asked Clinical Questions (FAQs)
- Case Report Forms
- Patents
- Scientific Publications
- Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs)
- Scales and Quality of Life (QoL) Instruments
- Summaries of Product Characteristics (SmPC)
- Adverse and Severe Adverse Events
- Patient Recruitment, Questionnaires, Quality of Life Scales, Diaries and Interpretations
- Patient and Clinician Education Materials
- Case Report Forms (CRFs)
- Clinical Training Documentation
- Clinical Study Protocols
- Synopses
- Informed Consent Forms (ICFs)
- Patents and Patent Applications
- Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) Documentation
- Quality of Life Scale (QOLs) and other Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs)
- Packaging and Labeling
- Investigator Brochures
- Instructions-For-Use Inserts
- Medical Device Operation Manuals
- Instruction and User Guides
- Product Catalogs
- Clinical Training Materials
- Brochures and Web content
- Site Documentation and Reports
- Import/Export Permits
- Preclinical – Phase IV Documentation
- Operator & Service Manuals
- Technical & Service Bulletins
- Human Machine Interfaces & Software
- Websites, Videos & Mobile Apps
- Engineering Drawings
- Content Management Systems
- Machine Labels & Safety Decals
- Corporate Communications
- International RFQs
- Product & Parts Catalogs
- Marketing Materials
- Product Data Sheets
- Training and User Manuals
- Service agreements and contracts
- Regulatory and compliance documentation
- Tender letters
- NDAs
- Datasheets
- Trademark and Patent registration
- Financial reports
- Marketing materials
- Fund fact sheets
- Regulatory prospectuses
- UCITS
- KIIDs
- Patents and Patent Applications
- Synopses
- Patents
- Patient Diaries
- Product Data Sheets
- Administrative hearings
- Court proceedings
- Annual General Meetings
- General correspondence
- Notes
- Public hearings
- Proceedings at meetings / conferences
- Sworn statements
- Pleadings
- Client tapes
- Briefs
- Depositions
- Examinations under oath
- Motions
- Reports
- Subpoenas
- Presentations
- Police interrogations
- Judgments
- Interviews
- Court transcripts
- Legal examinations
- Mediation briefs
- Legal pleadings
- Memorandums
- Testimonies
- Telephone conversations
- Summary of Product Characteristics
- Instruction and User Guides
- Website text
- Online Help Content
- User Manuals
- GUI and Instructions
- Marketing Content
- Systems Engineering
- Product Data Management
- Legal Documentation
- User Interface
- Product Catalogs
- Labeling
- Brand Management
- Multimedia Content
- Product Launch Briefings
- App Store & Google Play Materials
- E-learning
- Environmental Compliance Content
- Software Documentation
- I18n Audits and Code Refactoring content
Quality Assurance
Do you have a Quality Management System? How does your company guarantee quality?
Questions are asked of client if preparatory/contextual information is not already known. Then the Project Manager prepares the translation assignment complete with all source/reference documents, specific instructions from client (i.e. formatting requirements), company background information and websites (for reference), deadline information, and any additional information that the linguist(s) needs to know in order to complete the project.
The job order is then assigned to the most qualified translator in our network to perform the translation based upon experience, education, and subject matter expertise.
The translator reviews the source document(s) carefully, asking Project Manager for clarity when needed and produces a target text that conveys as closely as possible the meaning, language level, and tonality of the source text while adhering to cultural styles and grammar protocol of the target language and sends it back to the Project Manager.
The Project manager prepares the editing packet complete with all source/reference documents, company background information and websites (for reference), deadline information, and translated (target) text and assigns it to the most qualified editor in our network to perform the review.
The editor reviews source document(s) and carefully reads it against the translated document(s) for accuracy and understanding then the editor proofreads translated document checking for errors, typos, mistranslations or omissions and makes any necessary changes to translated text. The edited document is then sent back to the Project Manager where it is proofread and prepared for final QA Analysis.
The QA Manager reviews edited document(s) and accepts/rejects changes and prepares the final document for additional QA Analysis and if applicable, runs the target text (bilingual file) through an automated QA check with QA Distiller and Xbench, to determine if there are any inconsistencies within one or multiple documents and/or the Translation Memory (TM) tool. Note: In some cases, it may be necessary to run comparison files to review prior versions of the document(s) and compare them against the source documents to ensure consistency across all versions of a document and to ensure all requested changes have been made.
The QA Manager reviews findings and makes note of any necessary changes, checking for proper formatting, correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and sentence structure and sends the document back to the Project Manager to make changes and deliver the project to the client.
DTS archives all translation work on its Translation Memory server tool and/or other server Locations.
DTS is ISO 17100 certified. 
Generally, incidents are handled swiftly, with same-day response/acknowledgment of the incident intake, and subsequent addressing within one day to one week, depending on the nature and complexity of the request. All incidents/requests are logged and recorded with the original service records.
How does your firm handle issues and complaints or concerns with regard to quality?
Complaints are an even less frequent event than incidents, so these are addressed swiftly and with follow-up communications to ensure adequate client satisfaction.
What language combinations do you offer?
Expertise Offered
What specialized experience can your organization’s translators offer?
Full descriptions by industry:
Some kind words about our translation services
R.L.
Regulatory Affairs Mgr.
“DTS did an excellent job with translations for us. I would highly recommend DTS Language Services to any pharma/medical device colleagues. Your company did a cost-effective, and excellent job translating and providing translation certificates.”C.R.
Associate Project Admin.
“I really appreciate you being to accommodate this request, especially for our biggest client. I am trying to highlight your great customer service and turnaround time on this project to them so that they can see what an amazing vendor you are and want to choose you in the future.”W.S.
Manager, Reg. Affairs
“You are our preferred provider of translations. We appreciate your timely service and competitive quotes and we are very happy with your service. The DTS customer portal is specifically very nice to work with as it is easy to submit a quote request and track our progress.”REQUEST A DOCUMENT TRANSLATION QUOTE
Please complete this form (* denotes required fields).
A verification email will be sent to you for confirmation purposes.
Translation Samples available upon request.*
*Minimal Charge applies.
