Our Services

Linguistic Validation

Atlas Translations offers linguistic validation services designed to help maintain the accuracy, reliability and integrity of your clinical research.

Atlas Translations have provided a variety of services for Alzheimer’s Society, including the translation of our flagship information resource ‘Worried about your memory?’ into a variety of different languages. The service we have received is consistently to high standard, with staff going beyond the call of duty to fulfil our requirements. I will definitely be using this translation agency again, and would recommend them to anyone looking for top quality translation services.

You have been such a help and we can’t thank you enough. We’re getting an amazing response. It is quite a challenge, but we wouldn’t be making our deadlines without your translation agency’s assistance. Many many thanks.

BBC

Atlas completed the work within our time frame and the proofreading service gave us the extra peace of mind that the translations were accurate and of quality.

It’s tough when you have to rely on a translation agency and trust that the translations are correct but with Atlas, we can rest assured that the language, tone, and style of translation is suitable for our audiences.

BookTrust

We are always very impressed with the quality and timeliness of the translation services provided by Atlas translation agency. The team are extremely helpful and we look forward to working together more in the future.

Tottenham Hotspur

Atlas provided us with a high quality, professional, courteous and competitively priced service, with a minimum of fuss. I was pleased with the translation agency’s communications and would not hesitate to use them again in the future.

NHS Confederation

Can your patient questionnaire survive translation?

A poorly adapted Clinical Outcome Assessment (COA) can compromise patient understanding and affect the quality of your study data. Atlas Translations provides specialist linguistic validation services to help ensure your COAs work as intended, wherever your trial takes place.

Linguistic Validation for Clinical Outcome Assessments

Helping your patient questionnaires speak every language.

In international clinical trials, a straightforward translation isn’t enough. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROs), clinician-reported outcomes (ClinROs) and other Clinical Outcome Assessments (COAs) need to measure exactly the same concept across different languages and cultures.

Atlas Translations offers linguistic validation services to help maintain the accuracy, reliability and integrity of your clinical research.

What is linguistic validation?

Linguistic validation is a structured process used to adapt Clinical Outcome Assessments (COAs) for use in different languages and cultures. The aim is to ensure that each version measures the same concepts as the original, allowing data to be compared confidently across international studies.

It’s about much more than translation. It involves careful review, quality assurance and testing to ensure that questions are understood in the way they were intended.

For example:

“Have you felt blue?”

A direct translation may refer to a colour rather than a mood in another language. Linguistic validation ensures that the meaning, rather than simply the words, is preserved.

Our process

Atlas can support every stage of the linguistic validation process, including:

  • Initial translation

Performed by specialist medical translators with experience in clinical research and patient-facing materials.

  • Independent review

A second linguist checks the translation for accuracy, consistency and cultural appropriateness.

  • Reconciliation

Alternative versions are compared and harmonised to produce the most appropriate wording.

  • Back translation

Where required, an independent translator translates the text back into the source language to identify any conceptual differences.

  • Expert review

Medical and linguistic specialists examine the translation to ensure scientific and clinical accuracy.

  • Cognitive debriefing

Testing with native speakers from the target patient population to confirm that the questionnaire is clear and easily understood. (We don’t arrange the community review with the patients on our side, but we liaise with the client, review their findings and implement any changes to the translation afterwards).

  • Final proofreading and quality assurance

A comprehensive final review before delivery.

What can be validated?

We regularly receive enquiries relating to:

  • Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROs)
  • Observer Reported Outcomes (ObsROs)
  • Clinician Reported Outcomes (ClinROs)
  • Performance Outcome Measures (PerfOs)
  • Quality of life questionnaires
  • Patient diaries
  • ePRO platforms
  • Symptom trackers
  • Screening questionnaires
  • Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) materials
  • Clinical trial documentation

Why choose Atlas?

Medical expertise

We’ve worked with healthcare, pharmaceutical and life sciences organisations for many years, handling sensitive and highly technical content.

Global network

Our carefully selected specialist linguists combine medical knowledge with native-level language expertise.

Quality-focused

Our ISO-certified processes help ensure consistency, confidentiality and rigorous quality control.

Flexible approach

Whether you need a straightforward validated translation or support for a larger multinational study, we can tailor our services to your requirements.

Who do we work with?

We support:

  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Biotechnology companies
  • CROs
  • Medical device manufacturers
  • Universities
  • Research organisations
  • NHS and healthcare providers
  • Health charities

Frequently Asked Questions

Isn’t this just medical translation?

Not quite.

Medical translation focuses on accurately translating medical information. Linguistic validation goes further, ensuring that questionnaires and assessment tools are culturally appropriate and conceptually equivalent so that data collected across different countries can be reliably compared.

Planning an international clinical study?

Whether you need a single validated questionnaire or multilingual support across an entire clinical programme, Atlas Translations can help.

Get in touch to discuss your linguistic validation and Clinical Outcome Assessment requirements.

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