# Translation of maintaining and maintenance **URL:** \ **Category:** Translation User Group\ **Tags:** tug-pending-input\ **Created:** [April 24, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://forums.snomed.org/t/translation-of-maintaining-and-maintenance/1236 "2026-04-24T14:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lbie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@lbie](https://forums.snomed.org/u/lbie)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://forums.snomed.org/t/translation-of-maintaining-and-maintenance/1236/1 "2026-04-24T14:07:25Z")
When translating concepts of the ICNP refset, the Danish NRC DK became aware of concepts containing _maintains_, _maintaining_, or _maintenance_ They can be hard to translate, because _maintain_ has several meanings, primarily : a) To keep up, to preserve, to uphold (in Danish _opretholde_), e.g. a state, a condition b) To keep in good condition and working order (in Danish _vedligeholde_) e.g. a device, a building The context often makes it easier to choose whether the intended meaning is a) or b) However, when the term contains one of the verbal nouns (_maintenance_ and _maintaining)_ both meaning a) and b) are sometimes possible, especially when the object is a device. A concept like 711032008 |Maintaining use of raised edge mattress (procedure)| is rather easy to understand (meaning a) because of the context given with the word _use_. But it is more difficult to translate e.g.: 47377006 |T-tube maintenance (procedure)| and especially 710972007 |Maintaining fall safety alarm (procedure)| We seem to be able to see that SNOMED CT uses the wording "_DEVICE maintenance"_ for meaning b), i.e. to keep a device in good condition and working order while the wording "_maintaining DEVICE"_ is used for meaning a), i.e. to continue using a DEVICE. Here it should also be noted that in the ICNP Browser a definition of _maintaining_ is given: “Regulating: Keeping something up, retaining something or continuing something”.In ICNPthis concept is parent for all the ICNP concepts with the wording _maintaining X._ Denmark has thus chosen to change our translations so "_DEVICE maintenance"_ and "_DEVICE care"_ will be translated in the same way "_vedligeholdelse af DEVICE" (keeping a DEVICE in good condition and working order)_ while "_maintaining DEVICE"_ will be translated to “_fortsat brug af_ DEVICE” (continuous use of DEVICE). The ICNP concept 710972007 |Maintaining fall safety alarm (procedure)| seems to have been translated differently across different extensions, e.g. Swedish: _skötsel av trygghetslarm_ Norwegian: _fortsatt bruk av fallalarm_ French: _maintien de l’alarme de sécurité en cas de chute_ Netherlands: _onderhouden van valalarm_ German: _Unterhalten eines Sturzalarms_ And we would therefore like to discuss the issue with the members of the Translation User Group, with a focus on the following questions: - Do you agree with the suggested different meanings of "_maintenance"_ and "_maintaining"_ and did you have trouble translating (some of) these concepts? E.g. in connection with DEVICE? - Do you also find that "_DEVICE maintenance"_ and "_DEVICE care"_ mean more or less the same thing and can be translated in the same way? - How should 401137000 |Maintaining equipment (procedure)| be interpreted? It has the wording of "_maintaining DEVICE"_, but has both the parent 133909001 |Maintenance of device (procedure)|and an attribute of Method = maintenance. How should this be interpreted? ---
**Author:** ![plammertyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/958977/32.png) [@plammertyn](https://forums.snomed.org/u/plammertyn)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 9:22am UTC](https://forums.snomed.org/t/translation-of-maintaining-and-maintenance/1236/2 "2026-04-28T09:22:11Z")
Hi @lbie , would you like to present this issue during next meeting on May 5? Thanks, Pedro ---
**Author:** ![mgagnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mgagnon](https://forums.snomed.org/u/mgagnon)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://forums.snomed.org/t/translation-of-maintaining-and-maintenance/1236/3 "2026-04-28T12:50:35Z")
Yes, these two meanings exist in French as well, and it’s always difficult to translate maintenance and maintaining, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Yes, “maintenance” and “care” refer to the concept of maintenance/cleaning/checking that something is working properly (depending on the device). If we look at the children and grand-children of 401137000 |Maintaining equipment (procedure), it refers to maintenance/care of a device, which might involve checking its condition, cleaning it, or replacing it if necessary.