Blogs

Today Avantpage Translations released a special report called Translation Law and The Pharmacy: Protecting The Consumer's Right To Understand. Healthcare providers, insurers, and managed care organizations have already changed the way they interact with limited-English proficient (LEP) clients. With recently settled lawsuits in New York and upcoming changes in enforcement in California, the new focus is on pharmacies. How can pharmacies meet the new translation requirements effectively and ensure compliance? What will new guidelines mean? This topic is especially timely because the California State Board of Pharmacy in the Department of Consumer Affairs is in the process of defining compliance with Senate Bill 472, which requires standardized pharmacy labels. The Board has recently adopted draft regulations and is accepting comments until January 4, 2010. They will hold a hearing on the issue on January 20, in Sacramento at 1625 N. Market Blvd. in the Hearing Room at 9:30 a.m. Avantpage will continue to examine the linguistic issues that affect healthcare and keep clients informed as the regulations change. You may also contact Avantpage at (530) 750-2040 or at [email protected] for more information.

The California Board of Pharmacy recently adopted draft regulations for the standardization and translation of prescription drug labels.  We think this is a great step forward, but the Board needs to go farther--specifically, by requiring labels to be translated into every patient's primary language. In doing so, the Board will be supporting stronger regulations for language access.  If you'd like to express your thoughts on label translation, send your comments by January 4, 2010 to:  Carolyn Klein  Manager, Legislation and Regulations  California State Board of Pharmacy  1625 N. Market Blvd., N219  Sacramento, CA 95834  Fax: (916) 574-8618  Email: [email protected] There will also be a hearing on the issue on January 20, in Sacramento at 1625 N. Market Blvd. in the Hearing Room at 9:30 a.m.  When you comment, we suggest including these messages, created by CPEHN: Thanks for supporting stronger regulations for language access!

Today, Avantpage Translations and School Innovations & Advocacy (SI&A) released a special report on ways that properly and accurately translated documents-not just the ones required by law-can enhance relationships and overall results for schools. Research shows conclusively that parent involvement in their children's education improves student achievement. In particular, children from low-income and culturally and racially diverse families-students most often affected by racial and ethnic "achievement gaps"-benefit from increased involvement. Schools are searching for ways to close these achievement gaps-and translation is a cost-effective solution that should be explored. It's easy to see how school districts can realize higher rates of participation and improved results when they speak the community's language. The complete report can be downloaded here. Avantpage continues to address the linguistic issues that affect education in California and around the country.

The Latino and Asian markets are growing rapidly, and that they represent a great opportunity for the health care industry. Who will take the initiative and reach out to this segment of the population? Who will become trusted members of the community and become preferred providers for thousands of Latino and Asian households? In an America that is daily becoming more diverse, the companies who can fulfill this need will surely be the most successful in the years and decades to come. Click here to read more about how you can access the Latino and Asian health care markets.

Avantpage has been awarded a contract with the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) through a competitive bid process. Avantpage will translate State of California Child Support Services' official documents, forms and publications from English into six languages - Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Armenian, Simplified Chinese, and Hmong. Avantpage will also provide reverse translation services by translating into English, documents received by DCSS that are written in languages other than English. Avantpage is proud to work with the DCSS on these important documents and looks forward to the opportunity of serving the families of California.

Today, in celebrating our 13th "lucky" year of excellence in helping people better communicate with and understand each other, Avantpage Translations has released a report called Avantpage: Translating 13 Years of Experience into Continued Success. This informative report takes a look back at 13 years of change in the translation industry and how the new global economy and the Internet have affected companies' translation needs. In addition, Avantpage CEO Luis Miguel shares his passion for the translation industry, his insights about the future, and emerging translation trends that may have a major impact. Here's to the next "lucky 13" years!

For organizations or employees who are seeking translation services for the first time, we have put together some of our best practices. In our report on 10 industry “best practices” to help you navigate the process of getting, managing, and assessing language services.  At Avantpage, we understand how crucial it is that your projects are on track from the very first step. That is why we included our best practices and recommendations to get started, ask questions, and what to avoid in the translation process.  The complete report can be downloaded here.

Despite the proclamations by some that United States health care leaves much to be desired, the U.S. is the destination of choice for hundreds of thousands choosing to leave their countries for medical procedures each year. According to one study, in 2008, 3.5% of inpatient procedures in the U.S. were performed on international patients. In response to the linguistic challenges that such tourism presents, Avantpage Translations recently released Part I a special report called "Medical Tourism: A Linguistic Perspective." Part II of the report deals with the considerations associated with inbound medical tourism, and reasons why hospitals and other health care providers should consider using a professional translation service. Hospitals in the U.S. have to ensure compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws and other regulations designed to protect the non-English speaking consumer. At the same time, providers wish to create targeted marketing campaigns for specific groups as well as offer a "concierge" experience for each international patient. Recognizing this, Avantpage offers a full complement of translation services to help providers attract foreign patients and provide the best service possible.

Medical tourism is a hot healthcare trend, with hundreds of thousands of people choosing to leave their countries for medical procedures each year. It's even the subject of the newest thriller by Robin Cook, Foreign Body. According to some projections, up to six million Americans will journey overseas for medical procedures in 2010.In response to the linguistic challenges that such tourism (both inbound and outbound) presents, Avantpage Translations recently released a special report called "Medical Tourism: A Linguistic Perspective." Part I of the report deals with the considerations associated with outbound medical tourism, and ways in which a professional translation service would be helpful, if not absolutely necessary. As patients choose healthcare providers overseas, there are a myriad of concerns involved. Last on the list should be worry that medical records or other documents have not been appropriately translated. Recognizing this, Avantpage offers a full complement of translation services to help patients and providers work together effectively.

Readying your text for translation can save you time and money and improve the quality of the resulting translations. When you use words and images that are easy to understand and a presentation that is simple and inviting to read, your customers will better understand the document. When readers understand the material, they are more likely to respond favorably. Contact us for some tips to help you write accessible, easy-to-translate text.

It has already become apparent to many companies that communication in diverse languages is imperative in order to build and maintain a global brand in the 21st century. Less clear (at least to those not already acquainted with the translation industry) is the terminology associated with translation services. L10N, GILT, DTP, I18N... what does it all mean? Avantpage is here to help you navigate these sometimes confusing terms in a special report called "Translation 411: A Quick Guide To The Services You Need In The 21st Century Global Economy".  Avantpage's special report has been written as a service to help organizations better understand the terminology and the necessities of the globalization process. We'll continue to examine all of the linguistic issues that affect business and keep our clients informed. You may also contact Avantpage at (530) 750-2040 or at [email protected] for more information.

Five leading pharmacy chains in New York state have announced they’ll be providing prescition drug information to their customers in their primary language.