What is linguistic validation?

Linguistic validation is a crucial process that ensures accurate and culturally appropriate translations of survey instruments, patient questionnaires, and other clinical trial documentation. It is a fundamental aspect of global research and communication, especially in multicultural and multilingual settings. The goal of linguistic validation is to ensure the reliability, equivalence, and textual validity of translations of clinical outcome assessments (COA). The process also seeks to maintain the integrity and validity of the original content while making it understandable and relevant to the target audience.

Why is linguistic validation necessary?

This process has grown more important with the increase in global clinical trials and the corresponding need for accurate and culturally-appropriate communication among different stakeholders, including researchers, regulators, and patients. Furthermore, the linguistic validation process, including cognitive debriefing, is essential for demonstrating the validity of translated content submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and other regulatory authorities as part of the approval process for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.

 

There are several main reasons to perform linguistic validation:

• Ensure accuracy and reliability: Accurate translations are vital to guarantee that the meaning and intent of the content remain consistent across different languages. Inaccurate translations can lead to misinterpretations, bias, and invalid results in research studies and, consequently, rejection by regulatory authorities.

 

• Legal and regulatory compliance: In fields like healthcare and clinical trials, linguistic validation is often mandated or recommended by regulatory authorities to comply with legal requirements and ensure that informed consent and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are accurately translated for multinational studies.

 

• Cultural relevance: Language and culture are deeply intertwined. Linguistic validation takes account of cultural nuances, idiomatic expressions, and contextual references, ensuring that the content resonates with the target audience and meets their cultural expectations. This increases the likelihood of obtaining accurate and reliable data.

 

• International marketing and communication: For pharmaceutical and other life sciences companies expanding globally, linguistic validation is essential to ensure effective communication with international customers, business partners, and other stakeholders. Linguistic validation can increase trust among these stakeholders in the organization’s clinical information and other documentation.

The linguistic validation process

So how is linguistic validation carried out? It is a multistep process that can be quite complex. However, working with a partner with the relevant experience in this field can simplify the process and ensure optimal results. The following are some of the basic steps (although the specific steps may vary, depending on the client and the documentation to be translated):

 

1. Translation by native speakers: The process begins with the translation of the original content by two professional translators who are native speakers of the target language. These translators should have expertise in the subject matter to guarantee accuracy and reliability.

 

2. Reconciliation of the initial translation: After the initial two translations have been completed, they are reviewed to reconcile any differences between them. During this process, any differences in terminology are resolved to ensure that the translation is both accurate and culturally appropriate.

 

3. Back translation: A back translation is carried out to validate the initial translation. Another translator, who is a native speaker of the source language, translates the content back into the source language. This step helps to identify discrepancies and potential issues in the initial translation round.

 

4. Harmonization: After identifying any discrepancies through the back translation, the harmonization step involves comparing the original content, the initial translation, and the back translation. Any discrepancies are discussed and resolved to achieve a linguistically accurate and culturally appropriate version.

 

5. Cognitive debriefing: In this step, the translated content is tested on a small sample of the target audience to obtain feedback. Participants are interviewed and asked about their understanding of the content, relevance, and potential issues. This feedback helps to further fine-tune the translation.

 

6. Finalization: Based on the feedback received during the cognitive debriefing, the final version of the translated content is produced. This version is now linguistically validated, ensuring its accuracy and cultural relevance.

 

By following these steps, pharmaceutical companies, clinical research teams, and other organizations can ensure the accuracy of translated documentation, speed the regulation submission process, and reduce costs.

Best practices for linguistic validation

Before initiating the linguistic validation process, companies need to consider best practices for ensuring the highest level of success. Among other things, companies should adhere to the following points when setting up linguistic validation processes:

 

• Collaborate with expert linguists: Work with professional translators who are not only native speakers of the language they are translating into, but who also have subject matter expertise. Collaborating with linguistic validation experts will ensure the most accurate and reliable translations.

 

• Involve the target audience: Engage the target audience in the cognitive debriefing phase to understand their perspective, identify potential issues, and validate the effectiveness of the translated content.

 

• Cultural adaptation: Avoid literal translations and focus on cultural adaptation to maintain relevance and ensure that the documentation resonates with the target audience’s cultural norms and expectations.

 

• Establish a glossary: Develop a glossary of key terms to maintain consistency across translations and avoid confusion. Most professional translation companies already include this step in their normal processes and therefore have expertise in this area.

 

• Continuous improvement: Regularly review and update linguistic validation processes based on feedback and lessons learned from previous projects. Continuous improvement ensures greater accuracy and efficiency over time. Working with the same language services provider for all your translation needs can help meet this goal.

Conclusion

Linguistic validation is a vital element of global research and communication, ensuring accurate and culturally relevant translation. By understanding its importance and following best practices, businesses, researchers, and other organizations can foster effective cross-cultural communication, uphold legal compliance, and improve the reliability of their data and outcomes in a globalized world. Embracing linguistic validation as an integral part of the translation process leads to stronger connections with diverse audiences and more successful international endeavors.

 

Get in touch with GLS today to find out how we can help you ensure optimal patient outcomes with high-quality translations and linguistic validation.

By Jim Cohen