Since we are a language service provider (LSP), we obviously approach our interaction with medical device companies based on our perception of what they need. Every LSP should be trying to offer a service that really satisfies the needs of its clients. Unfortunately, the reality is, what we as service providers consider important for these companies is not always critical, while we sometimes miss identifying needs that are truly crucial.

In June of this year, however, Nadège Young joined our LSP after having worked most recently for Boston Scientific, a large medical device company, and we compared notes on how our perception of what these companies need compares to reality. What we found interesting was that in some cases, as an LSP, we had a good understanding about medical device firms and their needs, but in other cases we didn’t have it quite right.

The first question we asked ourselves was how important quality systems and traceability are. . .