** Please note most of the information here has been taken from http://www.pharmacompliancemonitor.com/localization-language-strategies-are-key-to-emerging-market-success/4808/ **
Most Pharmaceutical Companies are enormous. They are global corporations – “factors such as economies of scale in manufacturing and R&D, and an increasingly harmonized regulatory framework mean that more often than not, pharmaceutical producers research, manufacture and market their products in global markets.”
Why Localization is Important for Pharmaceuticals
With globalization come emerging markets. Pharmaceuticals are seeing an increase in revenue from countries such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, Mexico, Turkey and countries in South East Asia (ref: strategy
What does this mean for Language & Translation Service Providers?
“Among the key challenges facing pharmaceutical companies in emerging markets is the ability to successfully localize their market-specific efforts. They must also be sure to meet the regulatory standards in each country as they relate to medicinal product translation.
As the Booz & Co report highlights, the biggest mistake companies make in emerging markets is the “insufficient tailoring of approaches to local needs,” according to 27 percent of the pharmaceutical executives surveyed.”
In order for pharmaceuticals to ensure success in these countries, it is imperative that their approach carefully considers localization and translation strategies to maximize performance.
When pharmaceutical producers market overseas, companies are necessarily forced to communicate and make their products available in local languages in every region. This need is driven by existing directives and regulatory compliance requirements, which prescribe what content – and when and how – needs to be available to local users.
“Accuracy, clarity and consistency form the cornerstones for translation in the pharmaceutical industry. The reasoning is clear: consumers and healthcare workers rely upon product packaging to guide them in making the right product choice and in using pharmaceuticals properly. Without exaggeration, an error in either of these areas could mean injury, death and years of legal fallout.”
For this reason we suggest that to ensure quality localization you:
- Ensure the translator is a native speaker
- Ensure the translator has medical and/or pharmaceutical experience
- Ensure the translations are proof-read for absolute accuracy
- Try to get a local medical lawyer to check the regulatory requirements have been localized correctly.
With the exception of the fourth bullet point, ICanLocalize can help you. We have completed numerous pharmaceutical projects and would be happy to help.
ICanLocalize (http://www.