Writing for Global Audiences: Insights into the Technical Translation Process within the Medical Device Industry

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Writing for Global Audiences: Insights into the Technical Translation Process within the Medical Device Industry

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2021

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As technological advancements and globalization practices grow, products and information are shared with diverse audiences across the globe. Translation allows companies to reach these audiences, and while technical writers do not translate text themselves, they are a fundamental stakeholder within the technical translation process and can impact the audience’s use of the text. As technical writers analyze their audience for targeted communication, it is important that they consider their global audiences and develop accurate and appropriate content for translation. Within this study, I analyze the technical translation process within the medical device industry because of its technical nature and role in developing new medical technologies that reach audiences across the globe. In this report, I examine some of the current literature on technical translation and pair that with interviews of practitioners working within the medical device industry. A qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed four overarching themes that are intertwined in the technical translation process: cross-functional teams, tools and technologies, global rhetoric and style, and regulatory oversight. Writing for global audiences improves the usability and readability of content by making the text more consistent, clear, and unambiguous. Technical writers can take several steps to improve their writing for translation including developing a consistent content creation process, understanding the cultural and language conventions of their diverse audiences, and writing with a global perspective.

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Fundingsland, Stella. (2021). Writing for Global Audiences: Insights into the Technical Translation Process within the Medical Device Industry. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/220026.

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