Being a technologist myself, I always look to the advances our scientists and engineers make with awe and wonder. As a society, we owe much to them.

I also know better than to give absolutes like "Machine translation will never replace human translators". Human capacity and ingenuity knows no bounds as of yet.

That said, we need to remember that as we apply machine translation to medical information, there are legal implications and, most importantly, the basis for medical choices and treatments. Mistakes and inaccuracies with medical information are simply not acceptable.

In our medical translation workflow, the legitimate role we have for machine translation is for terminology research, and to see how others have translated text that is new for us. Please note that this is more than in the past, but still quite limited.

Otherwise, because of legal, contractual and ethical requirements, we do not have or see any other role for machine translation in a medical context at this time. We will continue to follow the development of the technology, and as it evolves, evaluate how it can improve quality, lower costs and reduce turnaround time for our human translators.

Luis Miguel, CEO
tel: 530.750.2040, ext. 1

This past weekend I had a great opportunity to spend time at NYU in a course through their School of Continuing and Professional Studies. I gathered with a small group of other professionals talking about ethnic marketing and ways to reach multicultural communities. Such interesting discussions and data--and truly invigorating to be with other professionals eager to make those vital connections to important communities in the U.S.

Why is multicultural marketing something to pay attention to? Ethnic markets are gaining in population and buying power. They are the fastest growing segment in the U.S.! The majority are in largest cities, and growing in small cities too. While we may all think we already know this, it's great to get back to basics and see the data. The Hispanic, Asian, and African American markets combined already comprise 50% or more of top 10 urban areas, with annual purchasing power of $2 trillion. This population is 10 million larger than baby boomers demographic group.

And it's so important to be mindful of the diversity within diversity. For example, 15% of the U.S. population is Hispanic. Of that market, 63% are Mexican, while 35 other cultures contribute to the balance--such as Puerto Rican, Spanish, Venezuelan, Columbian, Panamanian, Guatemalan, and more. The same diversity is, of course, true with Asian and Arab cultures. Guess what, it's even true with "Americans."

When communicating with these groups, we can't assume a lack of English proficiency. It's important to know the appropriate times to use in-language marketing tactics. But when your communication is in-language it tells the community you care about them, you understand them, and they are important.

I'd love to talk more and share my insights into how language translation is a vital component in the process of creating a multicultural marketing program with cultural relevance. Call or email me today and let's continue the discussion!

Michael Lattif, VP Business Development

201.567.4351 | 530.750.2040 ext 7 | cell 201.424.8838

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.

This week I read an engaging and informative survey report released by the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF) detailing Americans' usage of personal health records, or PHRs.

What's a PHR?

According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), a PHR is "a tool that you can use to collect, track and share past and current information about your health or the health of someone in your care." A personal health record is different from a medical record because it is the patient's responsibility to compile and maintain a PHR.

The survey indicates one in 14 Americans has used a personal health record, double the number of users from a year earlier. This number is almost certain to continue growing as the adoption of electronic health records, or EHRs, becomes more widespread. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included up to $29 billion to support providers' adoption and meaningful use of such records.

Highlights of the survey showed that more than half of PHR users learned something about their health as a result of their PHR and a third of users used the PHR to take action to improve their condition. In addition, low-income PHR users (60%) tended to feel more connected to their doctor as a result of using a PHR.

While private companies offer PHR solutions, over half of respondents to the survey said they felt most comfortable using a PHR provided by their doctor or insurer.

PHR Translation Is Urgently Needed...

Since the results of the study showed that low-income PHR users stand to benefit greatly from PHR use, and in many areas of the country, the limited-English and low-income demographics overlap, it makes sense that PHR providers should expand PHR offerings to other languages as soon as possible. People who primarily speak Spanish or another language should not be denied this service.

If something as simple as maintaining a personal health record can help people feel more connected to providers and be more proactive about their health decisions, then everyone should get one! Do you have a PHR?

Luis Miguel, CEO
tel: 530.750.2040, ext. 1

 

I recently read a great article by Jim Hardy, McKesson Health Solutions, called, "Engage And Retain Health Plan Members With Online Tools," posted on Consumer Directed Health Care Solutions.
 
The list of what "Health plans should look to provide" presents an important picture of what health plan members can look forward to, some day, from their health plan's website.  The Pew and Deloitte statistics quoted are a poster child for "HELP!" and hope especially for those with chronic conditions.

The language translation world is a major area that provides constant improvement in health literacy,  member/patient satisfaction, and health plan ROI.  Having one place that  integrates all relevant medical information such as contained in the article's list is a terrific solution.  Even better if it can be understood by those who do not speak English or are more comfortable with a foreign language.
 
It's so important to increase the visibility of language service providers and underscore the important role we perform in the health care sector -- for the benefit of members and patients.

Michael Lattif, VP Business Development  
tel: 530.750.2040, ext. 7

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.

That was our response upon receiving our census form in the mail. After all, the country of origin question goes a long way in determining what kind of language services an area needs to provide for local residents.

Well, it’s sort of on the census.  

You see, under Question 9 about race, there are boxes for “white, black, American Indian, Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian, Native Hawaiian, Guamanian/Chamorro, Samoan, Other Pacific Islander, or “Some Other Race.”

So one can glean some information about national origin and languages spoken from this version of the census, but there are some notable categories missing here. Arab-Americans are often divided about how to fill out this item—most choose “white,” but feel oddly doing so. In the same way, this form doesn’t accurately count Russian-Americans or Americans of Polish heritage, since those groups also self-identify as “white.”

Here’s the answer to the “missing ethnicity question,” straight from the Census Bureau:

“The 2010 Census isn’t designed to capture data on a person’s ancestry. We capture that information on the American Community Survey (ACS), which is part of the official census but conducted throughout the decade on a rolling sample of about 2.5 percent of the population every year. In Census 2000 and earlier decades what is now the ACS was commonly called “the long form” of the census; the 2010 Census is the first to use a short form only.”

Time will only tell whether the ACS provides us with an accurate accounting of the many ethnic and linguistic groups within America, and whether this experiment with a “short form” proves costly in the long run for historically underrepresented groups.

 

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.