Avantpage Vice President of Business Development Michael Lattif will be speaking in Houston 8/13 at the Texas Association of Healthcare Interpreters and Translators (TAHIT) 4th Annual Symposium on Language Access.

This event is the largest symposium on language access in the Southwestern US, and continues TAHIT's mission is to promote language access within healthcare by facilitating training, education, and communication between government, provider, and individual stakeholders.

Avantpages presentation, The ROI of Language Assistance: How It Pays to Communicate in Your Patients' Language, discuss the economic impact and ROI of language services in health care--a rare instance in which compliance with government regulations leads to higher patient satisfaction and better service and makes economic sense.

For more information about our presentation, contact Michael at michael@avantpage.com. We'd love to share with you the business case for quality language access solutions at the government, insurer, provider, and individual level, and Avantpage's recommendations on how to start and implement a professional Language Assistance program.

Looking forward to seeing you in Houston, and to sharing our insights with you after the event.

Unless you've been traveling somewhere extremely remote where there's no radio, television, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, or Internet, you've no doubt seen - or heard - part of a FIFA World Cup soccer game from South Africa over the past four weeks.

It all wrapped up in the finale on Sunday, July 11 with Spain defeating the Netherlands for not just the European bragging rights, but for the world's title, too.

So what does all of this World Cup frenzy mean to your business as it relates to using translations properly from Avantpage?

As the world's greatest sports tournament, watched by an estimated 500 million TV viewers, being a football fan can be great for your company's business -- if you think globally to leverage the World Cup audience to your advantage.

According to an Investopia article "World Cup: By The Numbers":

• $1.2 billion is the estimated total amount spent by this year's World Cup sponsors, according to Reuters.
• 6 stadiums at this year's World Cup had specially designated seats equipped with headphones through which commentators reported on the action for blind and visually impaired spectators, and most likely used them for translations.
• 86 million: Number of page views logged at Fox Soccer Channel's website, over the first five days of the tournament, an increase of 28% compared to the 2006 World Cup.
• 6.5 million: Number of World Cup replica jerseys sold by Adidas, more than double the number sold in 2006. This year's figures included sales of more than 1 million jerseys each for the German, Mexican, Argentinean and South African teams.

On a broader scale, let's look at how companies are leveraging this gigantic global audience to drive more businesses and increase their bottom line.

Sponsors: Traditional World Cup advertisers such as Adidas AG, Coca-Cola, McDonald's Corp., Hyundai, Kia, Sony, and Visa have historically benefitted from higher sales both during and following the tournament.

But for 2010, a few new relatively small enterprises launched their brands worldwide as sponsors. These included Yingli Green Energy Holding Company, a solar panel manufacturer that has a 7% share of the global solar energy market; Mahindra Satyam, an Indian IT services provider; and Seara, a Brazilian food supplier and the fourth largest meatpacking company worldwide.

Each of these newcomers was the first from their BRIC countries (Brazil-Russia-India-China) to sponsor the tournament and see a spike in awareness, which came after growth in their stock markets outpaced those of developed nations since the World Cup in 2006.

All of these advertisers could benefit from Avantpage's services for Globalization, Internationalization Localization, Transcreation and Translation for their websites, ads, and marketing communications.

Musicians: Most radio and TV commercials for World Cup sponsors use music to pace the message and build their brand with mnemonic messages or jingles. These commercials are also more frequently being shown in movie theatres to different audiences. For songs, chants, and anthems downloaded by globally by soccer aficionados, the musicians could sell more singles and CDs via our Localization and Translation services.

Social Networkers: If you're sending a Tweet through Twitter, writing on someone's Facebook wall, or uploading a YouTube video, it's important to speak their language so you can communicate most efficiently.

In terms of tweets, during this year's World Cup, a record was set during a Japan-Cameroon match on June 14 when tweets were sent at a rate of 2,940 per second about 30 seconds after the Japanese team scored the only goal of a 1-0 victory. And in the US-Slovenia World Cup match that ended in a draw, CNN's "South Africa 2010: Twitter Buzz" feature showed there were 174,078 tweets per minute near the end of the match, which translated to 2,901 tweets per second.

Both figures are nearly four times the average of Twitter's 750 tweets per second, which proves how big a hit Twitter has become in Japan since introducing a mobile version in October 2009. The Associated Press estimates that over 16% of Japanese Internet users tweet vs. 9.8% in the USA. It also proves that Twitter's traffic boost indicates how social media are driving the sports fan experience.

For social media, Avantpage can be the bridge advancing cross-cultural communication because of our ability to communicate in over 100 global languages. Our services for social media can include Globalization, Internationalization Localization, Transcreation, Translation and Transliteration.

If you are interested in talking with us and learning more about how we can help your company expand and connect with new markets, please contact info@avantpage.com, or call 530-750-2024.

Sources:

SF Gate: World Cup: By the Numbers

SF Gate: World Cup Investment Picks Offer One Sure Win

SF Gate: Sports Fans Set Twitter Records

 

Avantpage is pleased to join the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), a multicultural health advocacy organization, at their event next week: Building Quality and Equitable Health Care Systems.

Sponsored by The California Endowment, this convening is an important opportunity to celebrate and share with one another our advances in eliminating health disparities through language access, cultural competency, and workforce diversity, and to work together to move the field forward, especially with the recent passage of national health reform.

If you're in Los Angeles June 6-9, consider joining this important meeting. Avantpage will report back after the event with our impressions--we're committed to staying abreast of all changes in policy as it relates to translation and keeping our clients informed!

Avantpage joined the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) in taking action to support translation of prescription drug labels--we encourage you to take action also by May 13, 2010.

CPEHN writes, "Despite public outcry, the Board of Pharmacy continues to advance weak regulations that do not ensure the readability of prescription drug labels. These next two weeks are our final opportunity to write the Board and demand strong patient-centered prescription labels-- labels that are in a 12-point font size and translated in other languages."

Join us in sending your comments to the California State Board of Pharmacy asking for culturally appropriate labels. Comments are due by May 13!  CPEHN recommends telling the Board:

• 12-point font is the minimum size for readability. It is not reasonable to put the burden on patients to ask for larger print.
• Translated labels are essential for our diverse communities to understand how to take their medication effectively and safely. Pharmacies should be required to use the translated labels provided by the Board or develop their own translations.
• Oral interpretation must be required for all patients. Using the caveat "if available" in the regulation will leave our communities vulnerable to misuse of their prescriptions.

Please direct comments to: Carolyn Klein
Manager, Legislation and Regulations
California State Board of Pharmacy
1625 N. Market Blvd., N219
Sacramento, CA 95834
Fax: (916) 574-8618

For information or to let us know you took action, email Marty Martinez. Additional information is available at the Board of Pharmacy website.

Avantpage Translations is looking for a Web localization partner. We're interested in hearing from you if you are:

• Experienced
• Able to provide references regarding prompt, accurate deliveries
• Familiar with SEO
• Does Website design and implementation
• Willing to partner in Avantpage RFPs involving translation and web work
• US/Canada presence to ensure quick communication and collaboration
• Flexible pricing according to job/client

 Development languages to include:

• C#
• VB.NET
• C++
• Java
• PHP
• Perl
• Python
• Delphi

If you are interested in talking with us and learning more about how we can work together, please contact info@avantpage.com, or call 530-750-2024.
 
About Avantpage Translations
Founded in 1996, industry leader Avantpage allows our customers to build bridges across cultures. We provide translation, localization, interpretation, language technology, language workflow and strategy, and multilingual Desktop Publishing services - with constant attention to consistency and accuracy.

We have successfully completed statewide, national and international contracts, partnering with government and private entities. Our expertise helps you communicate and develop lasting relationships with ethnic and foreign markets. Online project management systems and advanced language technology allow us to provide responsive, quality, and efficient services. We help our customers develop an overall language strategy, workflows, and enabling technologies. These elements provide a framework that allows collaboration throughout all language services.

Avantpage Translations recently released a special report called "Translation Technology 101: How It's Changing The Business and How We Use It".

The new technologies used by companies such as Google have made computer, or machine, translation more accurate than ever. But just how reliable are these translations? Are translation companies going to start "cutting corners" by using machine translation software? How does machine translation work?

As companies consider these questions related to translation technology and the way it may impact their business, Avantpage has created this report to help answer some of these questions. In Part II of the report, Avantpage discusses the ways that they use technology to make their "human" translation services more efficient on a daily basis-without sacrificing quality.

Today Avantpage Translations released a special report called "Translation Technology 101: How It's Changing The Business and How We Use It".

The new technologies used by companies such as Google have made computer, or machine, translation more accurate than ever. But just how reliable are these translations? Are translation companies going to start "cutting corners" by using machine translation software? How does machine translation work?

Read Part I of our report here, as we discuss the evolution of translation technology, specifically machine translation. We also explore the benefits and drawbacks of using this technology, as well as potential applications.

Research shows that the per-patient costs of Language Assistance are low, while providing services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate (CLAS) manner leads to better patient outcomes and significantly lower costs to the system.

With minorities providing most of the growth in California's population today and in the future, offering CLAS is a key factor in growing your patient base. Avantpage offers quality language access solutions at the government, insurer, provider, and individual level. We also have specific recommendations on how to start and implement a professional Language Assistance program.

To learn more about how the cost benefits of language access, and the benefits to patients and community, contact Michael Lattif, VP of Business Development, at 530-750-2040, x7.

Whether your company is in need of translation services for the first time or you have years of experience, it's always good to review best practices.

These 10 tips can help your business navigate the process of obtaining, coordinating, and evaluating translation services.  Because Avantpage realizes how important it is to get things right from the beginning.

1) Be an educated translation consumer. When it comes to selecting a Language Services Provider (LSP) you must get well-acquainted with their translation process and quality assurance procedures, as well as the costs. It goes without saying that the cheapest translation provider may not be the best one for your company, but a good provider will be able to find ways to save you money.

2) Do an internal-needs assessment. This involves asking some critical questions before you proceed. What languages are you dealing with? Is a particular linguistic group within your area not considered a "threshold" language according to some definitions, but you know the population is growing? Does it make economic sense to begin providing translation service in this area anyway? What types of vital documents will you need to have translated? What data formats are the documents in?

3) Allocate appropriate resources. Providers of medical plans may already realize this, but any large company that is serious about translation should have a Cultural & Linguistics department or coordinator. It's also essential to allocate an appropriate budget, since you will need to hire a certified LSP.

4) Plan the translation process. Work with your language service provider to determine your process, what steps will take place each time a document is translated and how your specific needs will be met. What regulations must you follow in regards to translation?

5) Make sure all translation is coordinated from the top down. This seems like common sense, but the head of the C&L department should work with the LSP to ensure consistency throughout all documents. Recurrent phrases that have to be rewritten to make sense in the target language should always be translated the same way... This leads to #6.

6) Create style guides and glossaries. Compiled manually, style guides and glossaries do not affect the cost or time of your translations. They increase the overall quality and consistency of your documents. A glossary contains important terms with their preferred translations, and the style guide lets translators know linguistic and stylistic preferences (such as the audience and tone of the document.)

7) Stay ahead of the game by standardizing vital documents and pre-translating non-standard vital documents. If you know the need will exist to have a particular form or other document translated, it only makes sense to get it done ahead of time. Vital documents include applications, consent forms and letters. Non-standard documents usually contain information specific to one person, such as a health care service authorization.

8) Design and write documents appropriately. What does this mean? You have to assume that your audience may only read at the elementary school level. Keep information written for the consumer as simple and clear as possible. This will also help you when it comes time to have documents translated. Documents that require certain wording for legal purposes can still be written in words everyone can understand-it may just take a little extra effort.

9) Design appropriate internal review processes. How will you know when a translation is finished? ASTM STD. F 2575‐06 is mainly used in the USA and will give you a good starting point to discuss the quality assurance process with your LSP. If your company works in Europe, you may need to use EN 15038 as a standard instead.

10) Be an active part of the translation process and community. To ensure that you get the greatest value out of your translation services, be an active part of the process. If you have one main LSP, consider having a backup available in case of emergencies. Work closely with them at all times. Join professional organizations that will help you stay on top of changes to the law. When you anticipate regulatory changes, it will be easier to comply.

Finally, always look ahead to the future of translation in your industry. When you begin to think of translation as more than just compliance, but a tool to reach new markets, you'll see that quality translations aren't just necessary; they're part of an investment strategy that will eventually have a major payoff.

Translation attestation is an important regulatory requirement for Federal Medicare and California Language Assistance programs (Executive Order 13166, California Code of Regulations sections 1300.67.8 and 1304.67.04, and California Insurance Code sections 82538.1 to 82538.8).
 
An attestation is the equivalent to a notarized certification; it simply corroborates or authenticates the facts detailed. It's not a guarantee of quality. The actual translation must be performed according to agreed-upon processes and standards.
 
To learn more about Avantpage's attestations and our policies, contact Laura Kujubu, VP of Operations, at 530-750-2040, x3.