# Going beyond the technology: Considerations in translating electronic case report forms

## TL;DR

This paper discusses methods for translating electronic case report forms to support diverse language populations in research studies.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a refined workflow for managing certified translations of case report forms to streamline multilingual data collection.

## Key findings

- A process for translating participant-facing study documents into multiple languages has been developed.
- The workflow adjusts for changes in technical capabilities of electronic case report forms.
- This approach supports efficient data capture across diverse language populations.

## Abstract

Through a series of example research studies, we illustrate processes in translating case report forms to increase language diversity in study populations while simultaneously highlighting implications for data collection and analyses. The Northwestern University Data Analysis and Coordinating Center manages the translation of participant-facing study documents into languages other than English through a process that has been refined over several years, adjusting for changes in technical capabilities in electronic case report forms. This approach to manage, examine for context, and implement certified case report form translations offers an efficient workflow to streamline data capture in multiple languages.