3 Cost-Saving Strategies for Clinical Trial Translations

Clinical trials are among the most resource-intensive activities in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, requiring significant investments in time, money, and expertise. Every phase, from design to execution, involves stringent regulatory requirements and meticulous attention to detail, leaving little room for error.

While cost-efficiency is undeniably critical in managing clinical trial budgets, cutting corners by choosing the cheapest solutions can lead to dire consequences. Poor-quality translations, for instance, can compromise regulatory compliance, patient safety, and data integrity—issues that could result in delays, penalties, or even trial failure. Such setbacks are not only costly but can also damage a company’s reputation and slow the approval of potentially life-saving treatments.

Fortunately, there are a number of effective strategies to save costs without compromising the quality and speed of clinical trial translations.

1. Plan and Prioritize Early

Proactive planning is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to optimize costs in clinical trial translations while ensuring high-quality clinical trial translations. Starting early allows you to take a strategic approach, minimizing the risk of costly mistakes or rushed last-minute decisions. 

• Assess Volume and Scope: The first step is to identify exactly what needs to be translated, including the type and volume of content. Eliminating unnecessary or redundant documents from the translation pipeline reduces waste and keeps costs under control.
• Setting realistic timelines is a crucial step in managing costs. By planning with a buffer for quality assurance and review, you can strike a balance between efficiency and cost-effectiveness, ensuring that tight deadlines don’t lead to significantly increased costs.
• Centralize Translation Needs: Rather than handling translation requests on a project-by-project basis, consolidate them across departments or studies. Bundling translations in this way often qualifies for volume discounts from language service providers, leading to substantial savings.

 Early planning reduces expenses and ensures smoother workflows, fewer bottlenecks, and a higher standard of accuracy and compliance in your clinical trial translations.

2. Work with a Specialized Provider

Partnering with a language service provider that specializes in clinical trial translations is not just a smart investment, it’s a decision that can bring expertise, technology, and streamlined processes to the table. This ensures high-quality translations while keeping costs manageable, giving you peace of mind in your decision-making process. 

• Offer Tailored Solutions: Specialized providers are well-versed in the complexities of medical terminology, regulatory standards, and cultural nuances. This expertise minimizes the risk of errors that could lead to costly delays or compliance issues.
• Streamline Processes: With established workflows, these providers can manage large volumes of translations efficiently, saving both time and money. Additionally, specialized providers often leverage advanced tools like translation memory and machine-assisted translation. These technologies ensure consistency across documents, reduce duplication of effort, and lower overall costs while maintaining accuracy and compliance.
• Provide Cost-Effective Packages: Many providers offer flexible pricing options, including bundled packages tailored to your specific needs, making their services more budget friendly.

Choosing the right provider ensures your translations meet regulatory and quality standards while staying within your budget. It’s a key step toward keeping your clinical trials on track.

3. Prioritize Quality Assurance

Quality assurance (QA) is an important step in ensuring accurate and reliable translations for clinical trials. Mistakes in translated materials can lead to issues such as regulatory rejections, patient safety concerns, or delays in the trial—all of which can be time-consuming and expensive to fix. A strong QA process helps reduce these risks and ensures the translations meet the required standards. 

• Proofreading and Editing: Every translation should undergo thorough review by qualified linguists proficient in both the source and target languages. These professionals can identify and correct errors, refine phrasing, and make sure that the final text is accurate and clear.
• Validation Testing: Localization testing ensures that translated materials are not only linguistically correct but also culturally appropriate for the target audience. This step is particularly important for patient-facing documents, where cultural nuances can influence comprehension and trust.
• Consistency Checks: Using glossaries, style guides, and translation memory tools ensures uniformity in terminology and tone across all translated materials. This is especially crucial in clinical trials, where consistency contributes to regulatory compliance and clarity for all stakeholders.

By prioritizing QA, you can reduce the likelihood of errors that could lead to costly setbacks. A comprehensive QA process ensures that translated materials are accurate, culturally sensitive, and meet regulatory standards, helping to maintain the integrity of your clinical trial and its outcomes.

Clinical trial translations require careful planning, specialized expertise, and robust quality assurance to balance cost-efficiency with the need for accuracy and compliance. By proactively prioritizing your needs, partnering with experienced providers, and implementing thorough QA processes, you can save costs without compromising the integrity of your trial.

DTS Language Services Precision and Cost-Saving in Clinical Trial Translations

DTS Language Services has been a trusted partner in clinical trial translations for over 50 years. As an ISO-certified Language Services Provider, we specialize in delivering accurate, IRB-compliant translations for Clinical Research Organizations in more than 100 language groups. Our decades of experience mean that your clinical trial documentation is translated efficiently and to the highest standards of quality.

Each clinical trial project is managed by a dedicated project manager with extensive experience in the life sciences industry. We provide: 

• Clear Timelines: Every project is assigned a specific and realistic target completion date, ensuring transparency and reliability.
• Real-Time Updates: Clients can easily communicate with their project manager at any time to check the status or address any questions.
• Advanced Technology: We utilize leading translation portal technology and robust quality assurance processes to maintain accuracy and consistency across all translations.
• Tailored Expertise: Our teams understand the unique challenges of clinical trial translations, including strict timelines, precision, and budget considerations.

In the past two years alone, we have translated over 5,000 clinical trial document packages for more than 50 life sciences companies. With DTS Language Services, you can rely on a partner that not only delivers quality and expertise but also helps you save costs. Our efficient processes and advanced technology can help streamline your translation needs, saving you both time and money.