Reportedly, the dominant languages for medical texts are English and German. Since English and German account for between 405 and and 442 million speakers* on the planet, there is plenty of room for outreach to other languages. (Spanish and Chinese spring to mind...)

The types of medical documentation typically requiring translation and cultural adaptation (i.e. localization) include:

• Multimedia medical applications
• Medical texts, patient information documentation, psychological reports
• User guides (instructions for use - IFU) for medical staff and patients, including multimedia material such as health education and medical reference information
• Medical equipment instruction manuals and brochures (medical devices, surgical instruments, etc.), monographs and other documentation required to meet government regulations to sell and distribute medical products in foreign countries
• Medical software (user interface for medical software and documentation)
• Clinical, toxicological, pharmacological and biological information
• Medical packaging labels, medical questionnaires and medical terminology glossaries
• Drug registration documents (e.g. summary of product characteristics (SmPC)), clinical trial reports, regulatory documents, etc.
• Patient Information Leaflets (PIL), informed consent forms, case report forms
• Medical news and summaries of medical journals (including scientific articles on a wide range of medical topics)
• Medical information websites (see website translation and localization)