Building and running an in-house language function
An in-house language function coordinates a company's linguistic needs, combines language expertise with access to technical specialists, and manages internal staff and approved external suppliers. Building one requires translation-industry knowledge, a case for its business value and preparation of the company's content and terminology.
Scope and value
Any department of a pharmaceutical company with a global presence may need translation. Beyond regulatory submissions, the work includes medical-device instructions for use, over-the-counter product labelling and leaflets, marketing for healthcare professionals and patients, and documents from other departments such as quality assurance. Linguistic services also include quality assurance of marketing and patient-facing materials, proofreading of mockups and interpreting.
An in-house pharmaceutical translation department operates similarly to a translation agency, with the added benefit of immediate access to pharmacists, biologists and doctors. This collaboration helps resolve linguistic and technical queries in real time, minimising delays. Channelling linguistic needs through one department allows efficient, agile management and helps the company assure the quality, safety and accuracy of its projects.
The team acts as language consultants, represents the translation function, contributes to business strategy and advises on current AI practices. A dedicated department demonstrates commitment to product quality and patient safety, recognising translation's part in commercialising medicines and internationalising pharmaceutical companies.
Establishing the function
Translators proposing an in-house function should explain to human resources why translation is needed in the workflow and product lifecycle and what linguistic problems the team can solve. The case includes helping the company reach global and emerging markets and channelling its linguistic needs through one department.
The function should be established by someone who understands translation and localisation; speaking another language or having lived abroad does not supply that industry expertise. Defending the value of translation is a continuing responsibility, because internal teams repeatedly face questions about outsourcing. Company knowledge, glossaries, style guides and the right staff support the team's case for its expertise.
Content management needs preparation from the outset: consistent terminology, a defined place to store literature consistently, and an understanding of regulatory requirements.
Staffing, portfolios and funding
In 2024 Medtronic's Global Translation and Localization function handled all the company's translations, including clinical documents, interpreting, marketing, instructions for use and multimedia. In the preceding year it delivered over 200 million words in over 120 language combinations. Its approximately 70 employees included 45 localisation project managers, approximately 10–12 internal linguists called language leads, 10 graphic designers and an internal technology-support team. It also worked with over 150 freelance translators and three approved multilingual vendors.
The function had four locations, including Minneapolis and hubs opened in Tokyo in 2023 and Kuala Lumpur in 2021; most technical-documentation writers were based in the US. The nonprofit internal department was funded by incoming projects and charged no more than each translation project cost to run.
Project management was organised around diabetes, cardiovascular, medical surgical and neuro portfolios. A senior project manager remained responsible for each portfolio's standards and processes while other project managers could move between portfolios to support large incoming projects. For example, the diabetes senior manager had four project managers who could also support cardiovascular or medical surgical work. Each team had different standards, requiring managers working across teams to retain team-specific knowledge.
Language leads were internal translators who also managed groups of languages and linguists, generally related to their native language. For example, a native Spanish-speaking lead managed the Romance languages.
Approved external suppliers
An in-house team cannot cover every language pair, including pairs that do not involve English, such as combinations of German, French, Greek or Arabic, so pharmaceutical companies outsource linguistic needs to approved translation companies. Suppliers must pass approval procedures intended to ensure quality standards, including good manufacturing practice; translation companies are subject to these requirements too. Good distribution and laboratory practices also contribute to the industry's regulatory constraints.
Supplier approval can make individual freelance contracts difficult: one pharmaceutical manufacturer's approval of its sole external translation company took two months.