SDS and MSDS Translation Services

What Is an SDS — and Why General Translation Is Not Enough

Safety Data Sheets Translation In Compliance with Local Regulations

Different world regions enforce unique regulations for handling chemical safety documentation. As a professional service provider, TheWordPoint ensures accurate technical translations for both English and non-English-speaking markets.

In the US, OSHA mandates that all MSDS documents comply with its 29 CFR 1910.1200 standard, while ANSI oversees proper labeling requirements. For the British market, REACH regulations present an entirely separate set of compliance demands.

Canada, being largely bilingual, requires translations of MSDS documents in both English and French. TheWordPoint’s services fully adhere to WHMIS standards, ensuring compliance and smooth market entry.

For global reach, the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) is essential, impacting regulations in the US, Canada, and Europe. Additionally, Europe enforces the 2001/58/EC directive for manufacturers. In China, compliance with GB 16483-2000 rules is required, while Japan adheres to the JIS 27250 standard.

TheWordPoint doesn't just translate your material safety data sheets — we ensure full compliance with the regulatory frameworks of your target markets. Whether it's the US, Europe, or Asia, simply tell us the region-specific directives to follow, and we’ll handle the employee handbook translation with precision and care.

What Makes Our Material Safety Data Sheet Translation Stand Out

TheWordPoint is dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of its clients. We provide certified translation service through top industry experts, carefully selecting professionals based on their specialization and experience. For MSDS translation, we exclusively assign translators from the chemical and related sectors, ensuring the highest level of subject matter accuracy.

Accurate Translation in 80+ Languages

Our translation services cover 80+ languages, meaning our linguists can help you reach different markets with accurate SDS documents. Whether you need assistance with English, French, German, Chinese, or any other major language, our team of specialized language experts is ready to get started right away.

Complete Security and Confidentiality in the Translation Process

We prioritize the protection of our clients, their personal documents, sensitive data, and identities. All files submitted for MSDS translation are handled with strict confidentiality, in full compliance with our data protection and privacy policies.

Competitive Pricing from Professional Translators

Our technical translation services are competitively priced, aligned with market standards — ensuring we attract top language specialists while keeping our services accessible and affordable. For example, the starting rate for chemical or SDS translation projects from English to Spanish is just $0.08 per word. Use our price calculation tool to get an instant estimate for your project.

Human Translation with Technical Expertise

As a certified translation company, we combine proven methodology with deep technical knowledge to deliver high-quality results. All MSDS translations are handled exclusively by human expert translators, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and meticulous attention to detail.

For technical localization projects, we use specialized glossaries to streamline the process and maintain terminology consistency. If your document contains 1,000 words but 300 are repeated phrases, you will only be charged for 700 unique words — enabling faster turnaround times and reduced costs.

Glossary Tools and Translation Memory

To maintain consistency and efficiency across all projects, our professional translators leverage translation memory tools that store previously translated terms, ensuring uniformity across multiple MSDS documents. Our use of the latest glossary tools ensures terminology consistency and helps reduce costs — particularly valuable for MSDS files, which typically contain a high volume of repetitive phrases and standardized terminology.

Chemical Safety and Regulatory Documents We Translate

• Safety Data Sheets (SDS) — GHS 16-section format. For all hazardous chemicals, all industry sectors, all jurisdictions. From or into any language with GHS implementation.
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) — legacy format. Older MSDS documents converted to GHS 16-section format where required, or translated within the original structure for jurisdictions still using legacy formats.
• GHS Chemical Labels. Product identifier, hazard pictograms, signal word, H-statements, P-statements, and supplier information — translated and formatted for print-ready output in the target language. Official H/P statement formulations applied.
• Pharmaceutical Package Inserts (PIL / IPI / SmPC). Patient Information Leaflets (PILs), Information for Patients Inserts (IPIs), and Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) for pharmaceutical products. These are regulated separately from SDS by pharmaceutical authorities (EMA, FDA) and require pharmaceutical-specialist translators.
• REACH Dossiers and Regulatory Submissions. Technical documentation for ECHA registration submissions, chemical assessment reports, and REACH compliance documentation.
• Transport Documents — DGD and TDG. Dangerous Goods Documentation for international chemical shipment: DGD (Dangerous Goods Declaration), IMO/IMDG documentation, ADR documentation (road transport of dangerous goods in Europe), and IATA DGR documentation for air transport of dangerous goods.
• Chemical Product Labels (Non-GHS). Product labels not subject to GHS (consumer products, pesticides, biocides) translated for market entry in any target country.

Industries We Serve for SDS Translation

Chemical manufacturing and distribution. Chemical manufacturers and distributors require SDS translation for every product in their portfolio in every language market where the product is sold or used. This creates the largest and most consistent SDS translation demand — often hundreds or thousands of SDS per product library.

Import and export compliance. Chemical importers bringing products into the US must provide English-language SDS under HazCom 2012. Exporters sending chemicals to the EU must provide SDS in the official language of each target member state.

Pharmaceutical and life sciences. Pharmaceutical companies require SDS translation for chemical raw materials and APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) used in manufacturing. Package inserts (PILs/IPIs) are a parallel but separate requirement for pharmaceutical translation.

Cosmetics and personal care. Cosmetics manufacturers must provide SDS for cosmetic products classified as hazardous (professional-use products, concentrated formulations) in compliance with EU Cosmetics Regulation and equivalent frameworks.

Agricultural chemicals and pesticides. Pesticide and agrochemical manufacturers require SDS translation for active ingredients and formulations, plus separate label translation for product labels subject to pesticide registration requirements.

Manufacturing and industrial operations. Manufacturers handling hazardous materials (paints, solvents, lubricants, adhesives, cleaning products) in multi-language work environments require worker-language SDS under OSHA HazCom (US) and equivalent requirements for industrial translation.

Oil and gas. Upstream and downstream oil and gas operations use large numbers of chemical products requiring SDS in multiple languages for international operations.

How Our SDS Translation Process Works

Identify your regulatory requirement. Which framework applies: OSHA HazCom 2012 (US), REACH/CLP (EU — which member states?), WHMIS 2015 (Canada), or another national GHS implementation? This determines target language(s), H-statement formulation source, and Section 15 content requirements.

Submit your SDS. Upload your SDS document at thewordpoint.com/business-free-quote. Provide the source language, target language(s), intended market, and any product CAS numbers or identifiers for terminology verification. Batch orders of 5+ SDS receive project-level management.

EHS-specialist translator assigned. Your SDS is assigned to a translator with chemistry, chemical engineering, or EHS subject-matter expertise and native fluency in the target language. All SDS translators are specifically vetted for knowledge of GHS H-statement and P-statement regulatory formulations.

All 16 sections translated with official regulatory language. Every section is translated. H-statements and P-statements are matched to their official ECHA-published target-language formulations — not freely translated. Chemical terminology is verified for accuracy. Section 15 is adapted for the target jurisdiction's regulatory framework.

Regulatory compliance review. A second specialist reviews the completed translation: H-statement codes verified, P-statement formulations confirmed, section completeness checked, terminology audited for chemical accuracy. This second review is mandatory for SDS — not optional.

Delivery and SDS library management. Translated SDS delivered in Word, PDF, or original format. For ongoing SDS library management, we maintain a client-specific chemical terminology database and translation memory, ensuring consistency across all products and enabling faster, lower-cost updates when SDS are revised.