Our friend, Carolyn Wang Kong, MPH, MPP, Practice Leader, Language Access, Northern California Diversity, Kaiser Permanente, will be participating in a noon-time panel presentation on September 24th at the Commonwealth Club of California. 

The topic of discussion is Cross-Cultural Health Care: Caring in All Languages. The event will address how doctors and patients can overcome the language barriers to enable and enhance access to health care. Come hear how technology is helping doctors and patients communicate through cyberspace.

Kaiser Permanente Northern California has done excellent work in this area, and we're sure Carolyn Wang Kong and the rest of the panel will present an interesting and engaging hour. The event is underwritten by the California Wellness Foundation.

For tickets, go to www.commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705.

Location:
The Commonwealth Club, San Francisco Club Office
595 Market Street, 2nd floor SF, CA 94105

Time:
11:30 a.m. check-in; Noon program

Cost:
MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)

Avantpage just returned from the CPEHN conference in Los Angeles. The theme was one of celebration--a look back, celebrate accomplishments and look forward to continuing challenges and what can be done.  The event was sponsored by the California Endowment.

The conference was attended by many different organizations from across the U.S.: community-centered groups and other not-for-profits, to publically held companies and federal government agencies.
 
Ellen Wu, CPEHN Executive Director, opened the plenary with a look at two scenarios for 2015. The first was a look back to today; the right moment and convergence of opportunities that effectively addressed health care disparity.

The second scenario was a "wasted opportunity."  The message: Don't mistake activity for achievement. Health care reform enacted in 2009 was insurance reform but did not address improvement in inequity.  How we work, whatever the accomplishments over the next five years will determine which scenario we have in 2015.
 
Some points made during workshops:

• Diversity of the total U.S. population is not reflected in the makeup of the workforce.  What does that hold in store for employers?
• 2 ½% of medical liability cases involve language issues.
• Most organizations need multiple modes of language services.
  

Overall, this was a great experience and we thank CPEHN for hosting this discussion--we were glad to be a part of it!  We'd love to talk more and share additional insights. 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

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.

According to data from the United States Census of 2000, the top five languages other than English most widely spoken by Californians in their homes are Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Korean. Together, these languages are spoken by approximately 83 percent of all Californians who speak a language other than English in their homes, or more than 9.96 million people.

When you consider that it can be difficult even for native English speakers to understand a complicated real estate contract, it's not hard to imagine that limited-English individuals are especially susceptible to fraudulent lending practices. California Assembly Bill 1160, passed in 2009 and in effect as of January 1, 2010, addresses this. 

If negotiations for a real estate transaction are conducted in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, the borrower must be given a written translation of the contract and/or the appropriate disclosures and forms. If there are any substantial revisions to the contract, then these revisions must be translated as well.

Avantpage has released a special report called "Action Alert: New Standards For Contract Translation In California." The report discusses the full implications of the new law as well as strategies for lenders and brokers seeking compliance.

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!

Avantpage has a full calendar of events over the next few months, where we're proud to exhibit at the conferences below. 

It's always gratifying to get together with other organizations, and discuss issues facing industries as diverse as government, education, and health care. Check out the events below--if you're attending don't forget to stop by our booth and leave your business card to enter our drawing for an iPod Shuffle!

We hope to see you and discuss how we can work together on your language assistance program and translations.

September

• 9/17-18: School Innovation & Advocacy's Cultivating Success Summit in Sacramento, CA
• 9/24: California Association of Physician Groups meeting in Oakland, CA

October

• 10/9-11: International Medical Interpreting Association (IMIA) 2009 International Conference on Medical Interpreting in Cambridge, MA
• 10/91-21: California Association of Health Plans' 24th Annual Conference in Palm Desert, CA
• 10/20-21: Federal Technology Center's Gov Link Conference 2009 in Sacramento, CA

November

• 11/18-19: California State Rural Health Association's 9th Annual Rural Health Conference in Sacramento, CA

Earlier this month we participated in the Berkeley Globalization Conference [Localization Industry and Association (LISA) @ Berkeley). Donald Barabé ­ Vice President, Canadian Government Translation Bureau, talked about emerging standards that the Canadian Government uses to denote 'Premium' documents--those requiring professional translation.

He stated, medical records fall into one of the criteria:

1. Documents produced by professionals.

The reasoning being that to do the end user justice, a document produced by a professional needs to be professionally translated.

It strikes us as a very appropriate standard!

To talk more about our impressions of conference and what we learned, contact us at luis@avantpage.com.

Here are some of other other quick impressions. It was an informative two days!

• Only 10% of the world's languages have a written form
• No translation equals no trade.
• The value of translation doubles every 5 years.
• Translation Memory (TM) plus Machine Translation (MT) is the combination of the future
• Localization is now for specific English-speaking markets
• Diaspora is crucial in a globalized world
• Google Translation is adding hundreds of servers every week
• Many countries have multiple national languages
• Machine Translation (MT) is great providing access to terminology
• The world language is translation and localization.

Next week, Avantpage will be at the Northern California Minority Supplier Development Council (NCMSDC) 2009 Minority Business Opportunity Expo.

The expo will take place on Thursday, August 6, 2009, from 8:30AM - 1:00PM in the South Hall of the San Jose Convention Center.

It's always gratifying to meet with other Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) organizations coming out to discover local products and services, network with colleagues, and discuss challenges and solutions ahead.
 
Stop by our booth to learn about the translation solutions we offer and get a complete view of Avantpage and the excellent language services we can provide for your company.

We are passionate about our work and look forward to talking with you!

We're looking forward to being a part of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) statewide conference, "Voices for Change: Connecting the Dots Between Prevention & Care."

The one-day conference is on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 in Los Angeles.

Voices for Change will provide an opportunity to forge stronger partnerships between traditional health care and primary prevention. The conference will give participants a chance to increase their advocacy skills, forge new relationships, and connect the dots to create a more comprehensive approach to achieving health equity.

For more information, go to http://www.cpehn.org/register.php?id=104