BURG Translations Blog
The pitfalls of inconsistent patient-reported outcomes translations
For years, translations of patient reported outcomes (PROs) have had inconsistencies. The way the translations are managed and the way they are published vary from practice to practicThis can cause tremendous difficulty in the pharmaceutical and medical field. Without proper information, how will patients understand what they need to live a healthy life?
Here are some of the pitfalls faced by the industry.
Inconsistent terminology
There are various ways to describe the same work. For example, if you plan to test a new translation on a small group of people to ensure accuracy and comprehension it can have two different names – “pilot testing” or “cognitive debriefing.”
It’s inconsistent verbiage like those two terms that confuses people in the pharmaceutical and medical industry. Although both cognitive debriefing and pilot testing can use a small group of people, pilot testing can also refer to testing on a larger group of people. This can have a profound impact on the meaning of a text depending on the context. In translations of PROs, this can change the meaning from language to language.
The importance of cognitive debriefing in the medical device space
Have you ever sat across the table from a someone whose native language was different than yours and wondered how well they understood you? Did you ask a non-English speaker a question and receive an unusual response in return?
Context and nuances lose meaning across translation. What might seem obvious in one language could mean something completely different in another.
Having a slight misunderstanding in a friendly conversation might not be a huge deal, but in your medical device marketing, it is. Misunderstandings could cost money, lose sales, and cause a host of legal problems. To avoid these catastrophes, cognitive debriefing is essential. Read more
Spain and Italy continue to lose in patent translation service fight
As a business, you know how expensive it is to file a patent. From the cost of filing to the expense of having the necessary patent translation service, patent filings are costly to companies.
With that in mind, it’s easy to understand why businesses continue their frustration over Spain and Italy’s non-stop battle against the European Patent Office (EPO).
For almost a half-century, Spain and Italy have fought the EPO to require that patents be filed in Spanish or Italian. Right now, the claims for a patent section must be filed in the EU in the top three dominant languages: English, German, and French. Spain and Italy want to add Spanish and Italian to that list of languages. Read more
Why you should use translation for e-learning?
Companies that employ e-learning tools or strategies can boost productivity by as much as 50%. That’saccording to a recent report by IBM and the eLearning industry. IBM found that for every dollar spent by corporations on e-learning, employees delivered $30 worth in productivity.
Many companies use e-learning as a way to keep employees trained. This makes it easier to keep costs down and have minimal operational disruption, according to Bersin & Associates.
Read more
Barriers keeping post-edited machine translation from being more widespread
It’s a sad reality. We live in a world where instant gratification is a demand, not a luxury. When a job needs finishing, you, your project, and your clients cannot afford to wait.
In spite of the high demands for projects to get finished, wait times still exist. With only 24 hours in a day, jobs that rely on human intellect and skill are often slowed when a translator reaches capacity.
As the demand for immediate results increases, so does the technology to help companies like yours. This is certainly the case in the translation industry today.
