Guidelines for quality translation of patient information materials from English to Russian

Accurate and accessible translation of patient materials can have a considerable impact on health outcomes, especially in settings where the official country language differs from the patient’s native language. Translations also play a crucial role in patient and caregiver education in the context of rare diseases, where materials in the native language may be limited. This article discusses existing requirements for patient-oriented texts and looks into the current plain language recommendations for Russian. The second part of the article features multiple excerpts from real-life English-to-Russian translations of patient-oriented materials and discusses suggested edits that facilitate the patient’s understanding of the text.