Medical Device Localization and Manual Translation

TARGMANEBI offers manufacturers, distributors and clinics translation of medical device instructions and Georgian localization of software interfaces from English, German, Russian, Turkish and other languages. An NDA is signed before any files are shared.

Who this service is for

• Manufacturers who supply equipment to the Georgian market and need documentation and an interface in Georgian;
• Distributors who need Georgian instructions for a tender, for installation and for staff training;
• Clinics and laboratories that have received equipment without a Georgian manual;
• Service engineers who work with the technical service manual.

Which equipment and documents we translate

Software interface localization

A modern medical device is a computer, and the operator controls it from a screen. Localizing the interface is different from translating the manual:

• Strings without context - in a resource file, "Start" may mean starting a scan, launching the program or the first step of a protocol. We clarify the context from screenshots or developer comments;
• Length limits - Georgian text is often longer than English. Space on a button or in a menu is limited, so we use established short forms, as long as the meaning is not lost;
• Variables and tags - %s, {0} and HTML tags stay unchanged and are placed in the correct position in the Georgian sentence;
• Alarm messages - the operator must understand "Occlusion detected", "Low battery" or "Check patient connection" within a second. We translate such messages briefly, unambiguously and identically everywhere they appear;
• Encoding and font - the Georgian Mkhedruli script requires UTF-8 encoding and a suitable font. After localization we recommend checking on the screen that no empty boxes or truncated text have appeared.

The file format is agreed in advance. Manufacturers most often supply Word, PDF, IDML, XML, JSON or XLIFF files.

Where an error is a hazard

An error in a medical device manual leads to a user error (use error), and that is one of the central topics of IEC 62366-1, the standard on usability engineering for medical devices. The highest-risk sections are:

• Safety warnings - DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION are different levels of risk and must not be mixed up in Georgian;
• MRI safety - MR Safe, MR Conditional and MR Unsafe zones, magnetic field strength (1.5T, 3T), SAR limits;
• Radiation protection - dose indicators (CTDIvol, DLP) and protective measures;
• Electrical safety - statements related to the requirements of IEC 60601, grounding, leakage current;
• Symbols - the explanations of ISO 15223-1 symbols: expiry date, batch number, single use;
• Disinfection and sterilization - agents, concentrations, exposure times.

Numbers, units, part codes and catalogue numbers are carried over unchanged, and the editor checks each of them separately against the original.

Units, abbreviations and formats

On a patient monitor or an analyzer screen there is very little text and a great many numbers and abbreviations. During localization we agree on each of them in advance:

• International abbreviations - SpO2, HR, NIBP, ECG and EtCO2 are read in Latin letters in clinical practice. They usually stay unchanged, while the Georgian explanation is given in the manual;
• Units - mmHg, kPa, °C, mL/h and mmol/L are carried over unchanged. The unit of a parameter can only be changed in the manufacturer's software settings, not in the translation;
• Date and time - the Georgian format is day.month.year with 24-hour time, if the software allows formatting by locale;
• Decimal separator - determined by the software's locale setting. We do not change numbers by hand in text strings.

These agreements are recorded in the termbase and apply to every file of the manual, the interface and the training material.

Checking the localized interface on screen

Everything in the interface file can be correct and a problem can still show up on the screen: the text does not fit on a button, a string ends up in a different context, or two different functions have been translated the same way. That is why the last stage of localization is a check on the screen:

• your team sends us screenshots of the localized version or gives us test access;
• we check for truncated text, wrong context, correct substitution of variables and font rendering;
• we deliver our comments as a table, stating the screen, the string identifier and the suggested correction;
• the corrected strings are updated in the translation memory, so that the error is not repeated in the next version.

This stage is especially important for alarm messages, which rarely appear in normal operation and are therefore easy to miss during testing.

Tender and training documentation

For a distributor, supplying a device often starts with a tender. In procurement by public and private clinics, the technical specification, declarations of conformity and manufacturer's letters are often required in Georgian, and they have a strict submission deadline. We prepare such documents separately and with priority, so that the tender bid is completed on time.

After installation, the clinic's staff need training. We translate training presentations, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and tests, so that the terms used in training and in everyday work match the manual and the interface.

Terminology and volume

In a 200-300 page manual, thousands of terms are repeated. To keep them consistent:

• before the project starts, we compile a termbase and agree it with your technical or clinical specialist;
• we use a translation memory - when a new model of the device or a software update comes out, we translate only the new and changed text;
• the terms in the manual, the interface and the quick reference guide match each other: if the screen says "Select protocol", the manual uses exactly the same wording.

General rules of technical translation: technical translation.

Turnaround and confidentiality

Short documents - quick reference guides, labels, individual chapters, small interface updates - are ready the same or the next day. For a full manual and interface we draw up a work schedule and deliver chapter by chapter, so that your team can start reviewing in parallel.

The service manual and the interface files are the manufacturer's intellectual property. Only the project team has access to them, and the content is not uploaded to AI systems or public machine translation services. Details: confidentiality policy.

How we work

Frequently asked questions

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